Secrets Underground
by Atem no koibito
Summary: Ancient Egypt never failed to interest Yugi. It was all just too fascinating. So, when his Grandpa takes him to Egypt to help uncover the tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh, Yugi's ecstatic. It's all fun and games though until a dark curse comes to pass. Yugi is trapped within the tomb, the soul of the Pharaoh refusing to let him leave until the truth of his past is revealed. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Welcome to a new story of mine, and I have to be honest, this is the first time I'm posting a story like this. It's a new type of, genre, I guess, for me to do. I have no idea where it is going to go, but I thought of this idea a very long time ago and I just wanted to start writing it since I have the first part planned out. I will plan and write more as the thoughts come to me xD.**

 **This is also an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, so be mindful of that. Otherwise, I hope you like it as much as I do. Be warned though, when writing this story up, the things happening in the story frightened myself. So, yeah… I scared myself, but it was probably due to the fact that I was writing it dead in the night, and it was dark everywhere. O.O But, that scary part isn't in this chapter. Chapter three! Or, four…? I can't remember…**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

 **PS: This entire fic is in Yugi's POV.**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 1

* * *

The sound of zippers closing, water swishing, and the hearty laughter that came from my grandpa made the excitement in my stomach grow. Grinning, I took a sip from my water bottle before shoving it into the side of my backpack, giving the bag a final look-over before closing it up hurriedly.

"Done! Ha, I win!" I cried, kicking my bag triumphantly and looking at grandpa who then zipped his bag up and put it by the door of the hot, hotel room.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled playfully, walking into the small kitchen to take his water from the fridge. "Don't forget that my good luck was passed down to you."

I chuckled, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall of the kitchen. "Yeah, keep saying that, Gramps." He then in turn swatted me with his hands and we both walked to the door, our matching work boots causing our steps to be heard on the wooden floor. My boots were brand new though, while Grandpa's was dirty and obviously used.

"So, are you excited to go on your first archeologic dig?" Grandpa asked, picking his bag up and slinging it over one of his shoulder before going to the door and waiting with it opened as I went and grabbed my own.

"A little nervous, and worried," I admitted slowly, feeling the butterflies in my stomach acting up again. "I've never went into a tomb before, so naturally I'll be a little freaked out by everything."

"Ah, my boy, don't worry," Grandpa assured as we stepped out into the dim, orangey hallway. "You'll be fine. I'll be there with you, so don't you worry a thing."

I nodded, tightening the straps of my backpack before fixing the cream, brownish coloured jacket that I had on. "I know, but I just can't help myself. This is all so nerve-wracking."

"Yugi, there's one thing you should know," Grandpa began, only to get off when a shrill ring rang out through the hallway. The sound was coming from his pocket.

"Hello?" he answered, putting the phone against his ear as soon as he fished it out of his back pocket. I listened patiently, waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"Yeah, we're leaving right though. I'll tell you when I get there. Alright, see ya," and a click was heard, ending the call.

"Yugi," he continued, and I looked at him expectantly. "I love Egypt, and I know that people your age don't get to have an opportunity like this so early on in the field. All your hard work has paid off.

"I know, Gramps, but I don't feel ready. I'm only nineteen. I have no idea what to expect going down into that tomb," I explained as we stepped out of the elevator, through the dim lobby, and into the rays of the hot sun. I squinted my eyes as I looked around the busy street filled with little stalls and people that bustled about. It was Cairo, so naturally it would be this busy in the morning. The car horns began their daily and day long work of making noise, and I winced a bit by the sound. I wasn't so thrilled about hearing it so early in the day, but at this point it can't be helped.

"Yugi, you're just there to help the crew out, but mostly to watch what we're doing. We won't expect you to do anything more than just get us water or necessary tools. Relax, everything will be fine," Grandpa assured one last time before opening the jeep – which he would leave with one of his friends when he returned back to Domino – and getting inside. I did what he did and got in as well.

"You got special privileges because of your high knowledge of Ancient Egyptian culture, your sky high marks in your major in Domino University, and the fact that you're MY grandson. You're Solomon Moto's grandson. You've impressed the right people, Yugi."

I chuckled nervously to myself as we drove down the road, the dust and dry wind blowing through my blond, ebony, and blood tipped hair. Grandpa was right. I did have a great opportunity, and excited I am. Very excited. Yet, I was also feeling very uneasy. There's a sinking feeling in my stomach, and I guess that has been the thing that's been bringing me down. I'm just being a big worrywart. I do have a lot of knowledge, and there's one thing I knew deep in my heart. Curses don't exist. Still, it scared me just thinking about it. Ugh! I have to stop thinking so pessimistically. Everything will be fine. Everything is going to be fine. I will enjoy this summer with my Grandpa, and I will swallow all this experience up as if it was my last chance to get a shot at my dream.

I'll be perfectly fine.

"So Gramps, which poor soul's tomb are we going into again?" I asked, turning towards him. As soon as I asked the question, I watched as his straight face turned into a big grin.

"We shall be entering the tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh!" he declared dramatically before turning back to the road, the grin still on his face.

"Oh yeah…"

"After many long years of searching for this famous King's resting place, we finally uncovered his tomb." Grandpa turned to look at me with a sincere smile. "I'm just so glad that I will be able to share this moment with you. I'm ecstatic to know that my own grandson will be there to uncover this King's throne. Oh Yugi, you will be amazed."

"Aw, thanks Grandpa," I replied rubbing his arm to show that I appreciated his words. "I'm glad that I'm here with you too. It will be kind of like a family thing."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. If the family includes the crew and their arguing…"

After a short moment of silence, I brought up another question to ask him. He never did tell me exactly at what stage they were on at uncovering this Pharaoh's tomb. I should at least educate myself as much as I can about what they were doing.

"So, how far are you guys at revealing this tomb?"

"Ah, yes," Grandpa began, casting a glance through the rear view mirror before staring straight ahead. "We've just found a lot of hallways that goes to nowhere for the past couple of years of uncovering this place, but only last week we across a mysterious door. However…"

"However what?" I asked quickly, not liking the agitated and upset tone that went through the last word. "Is there a problem? Did something go wrong?"

"It's just that they're trying to open it today," Grandpa explained. "They've been trying to crack it open for days, but it just wouldn't budge. They'll try harder though. Getting into this tomb is important. Who knows all that we'll find in there."

I looked out my own window, thinking deeply to myself. Certainly years of being locked and hidden away has sealed the door. It would take a lot of work to open. Grandpa's right though. Getting into the tomb, or through the door, would be a big deal. If this was the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb, it would be a great feat in for Grandpa and his partners. It would make history!

Staring out into the sands, a sign that we had left civilisation, the sun glared down on us even more than before. There was no shade, so I pulled the cloth down, hiding the window. We had a long while more to go until we reached the excavation site. Grandpa would notify me when we got there. Yawning, I slouched into the seat and my head leaned against the seat at a slant. Besides, I hadn't slept that much last night. This was the best time to catch some Zzz's before we arrived. Yep, I'll just do that.

* * *

I didn't know for how long I had been asleep because when I awoke I saw the driver's seat empty. Hearing shuffling in the back, I yawned and rubbed my eyes and then I took a look behind, only to see Grandpa pulling out our bags.

"Sleep well, sleepy head?" he joked, dumping my bag on my lap. I grinned, slowly getting out of the jeep and putting the bag on my back before slamming the passenger door shut.

I took one look around and I was shocked by everything that was going on. White tents were put up on either side of the area, and people and workers walked the middle with logs and sticks, and things that I couldn't even recognise. Looking up I put a hand to my forehead to block out the sun just so that I could stare at the pyramids which could be seen a distance away.

"Woah…" I said to myself, taking my camera from my bag and snapping a quick picture.

"It's cool, right," Grandpa said, walking up beside me to look at the scene as well. I was unable to say anything, so I just nodded instead.

"Hey! Solomon!"

The voice caused me and Grandpa to both turn around to look at the elderly man who approached. He had grey hair, slightly darkened skin - no doubt from the sun – and a grey beard. He was wearing a similar outfit to Grandpa. I didn't know him, but Grandpa obviously did. I tucked the camera away as Grandpa greeted the man.

"Arthur!" he replied happily, walking forward. "I'm so glad to see you. How's it been?"

A chuckle. "Ah, the same. Glad you could make it down here so quickly. I didn't want you to miss this!" this man, Arthur, answered equally as happy.

"I would've never wanted to miss this!" Grandpa exclaimed, and then he looked over to me. "Arthur, this is my grandson that I've been telling you about. Yugi," and the two made their way over to me. "Yugi, this is Professor Arthur, a colleague of mine and a very old and dear friend."

I smiled awkwardly.

"Yugi, I'm so glad to finally meet you in person. Your Grandpa would go on and on about you. I do have to say though, that you look very much alike. In height too!" Professor Arthur laughed heartily and Grandpa chuckled, while I pouted. Five foot and three inches was nothing to be happy about.

"Anyways," Professor Arthur continued. "I'm so glad that you could be here too, Yugi. This moment right here could make history. Solomon has told me about your studies, and I have to say that I'm impressed. You've even learned to read hieroglyphics, most of it done on your own!"

"I can only read a few things. Nothing too major…" I said, feeling my face redden by the compliments.

"Nonsense!" Professor Arthur exclaimed. "If Solomon says that you can read hieroglyphics, then you most certainly can. Solomon is trustworthy, and he won't lie to me. If you're terrible, he'll tell me you're terrible. But he said you're talented, so I believe him."

"Thank you, Arthur," Grandpa said, and I smiled. They were indeed good friends. Great friends.

"Come with me, Yugi. You too, Solomon. Let me introduce you to the rest of the crew. You're right on time too. We were just about to go in," Professor Arthur explained quickly, and he led the way for us to follow.

We got into another jeep and was then driven by Professor Arthur to the excavation site. We drove deeper in the Valley of the Kings, and I looked around from the back seat as we drove off bumpily on the sands. There was shade in this cavern like place, so it blocked out most of the sun. It was still hot though and I fanned myself with my hands to have some cool air reach my practically drenched skin. Sweat lingered on my brow and upper lip, and I wiped it away hastily. Looking towards Grandpa, I didn't know whether I should face-palm myself or just stare in awe. How come he wasn't sweating like a pig?! Looking away, I gazed up into the sky sadly. I wished that I was back at the hotel. They had an AC.

Thankfully, it didn't take us too long to get to the place where the tomb was located. Professor Arthur stopped the jeep and we all piled out. A group of workers bustled about, and looking forward I saw a group of people look up as we approached.

"Arthur, there you are! We've been waiting for so long," one man said as we walked towards them. His blue eyes scanned me over before falling on Grandpa. "Solomon! Hey, glad you could make it."

"Always right on time, Jonathan," Grandpa replied, shaking the man's hand firmly. "This is my grandson, Yugi," Grandpa then announced to everyone, and one by one they came up to me to shake hands.

"Hi," I said to each of them, smiling as realistically as I could. These were all big people who knew what they were doing. I'm just a baby compared to these guys.

"So, Yugi. Excited?" Jonathan said, handing me a hardhat before putting one on his own head, covering his short, brown hair.

"Yes, but I'm also very nervous," I answered, putting the hardhat under my arm to get a hair tie from my pocket. My hair would never fit under the hat, so tying it was a must. Tying my hair quickly into a little ponytail so that it stayed down, I put the hat on my head as I watched Grandpa do the same.

"He's been nervous ever since we left the hotel. I tried explaining that he won't die in there, but he's still scared," Grandpa said to Jonathan, and the brown haired man just laughed.

"Not scared of curses, are you, Yugi?" he asked with a grin on his face.

"No!" I exclaimed, picking my bag up for the fourth time that day and putting it on my back. "I know that curses aren't real. I'm just, too excited I guess?"

"Well, whatever it is, everything is going to be fine," Jonathan assured. "I've been in there plenty of times and nothing has ever gone wrong. Trust me, you'll be okay."

I nodded. "Yeah, I sure hope so."

"Good," Jonathan said, and he turned around to shout out at some people. "Hey, Kevin! Sabrina!"

I watched as a woman and a man stepped away from the table and walked towards us. The woman, Sabrina, was dark skinned – probably Egyptian – and wore shorts with a blue t-shirt and her jacket over it. She also had long black hair which was tied up into a ponytail. Her grey eyes pierced Jonathan's as she came forward.

"What?!" she snapped, crossing her arms and cocking her hips. "I was busy! You know, preparations has to be made before we enter."

"Yeah, Jon," Kevin said, standing next to Sabrina. "We were looking at the layout, and I'm not sure if the beams are strong enough. It might cave in if we don't act soon."

"What?!" I yelped, hearing that. Cave in?! That can't happen. I don't want to be trapped in there!

"Oh, look what you did!" Jonathan said, walking up to my shaking form. "You've gone and scared him!"

"Atleast he's worried by it!" Kevin shot back, and looking at him I saw that he went into a deep conversation with Sabrina once more. He was quite pale and had jet black hair, and he looked a bit Korean… but I couldn't be too sure. He wore long pants that were tucked into his work boots, and looking back to the table I could see that his jacket was laying on the table since his white shirt was all that people could see on him.

"Who's the kid?" Sabrina asked, approaching me, and behind her so did Kevin.

"This is my grandson, Yugi," Grandpa introduced once more, and seeing him Kevin and Sabrina's eyes went wide.

"Solomon!" they exclaimed, and surprisingly Sabrina broke out into a wide smile and hugged my grandfather.

"You're back! I thought that you wouldn't make it," she said, letting go.

"I always make it. What's with you all? Losing faith in me already? I'm not that old," he joked, and Sabrina laughed.

"Yeah, well, that's what I like about you. Full of surprises," she said.

"Hey, Solomon," Kevin then said, shaking his hand. "Glad to see you here."

"Same thing. So, how serious is the support?"

"Not too bad, but…"

At this point, the two had walked off and I couldn't hear what they were saying anymore. Sabrina however walked over to me and shook my hand. She was wearing work gloves and they felt rough in my palms. As she let go, I wiped my hands on my pants to get rid of the awful dirt that had clung to them.

"Hope you have fun today, Yugi," Sabrina wished me with a small smile. "This should and will be a great experience for you." As I could see her close up now, I saw the dark lines and looks of age on her face. Plus, she looked to be the age of someone old enough to be my mother. Hmm, maybe that's why Grandpa's close to her. She probably reminds him of his daughter.

"I hope so too," I said.

"Okay crew! Let's go!" Jonathan shouted, and one by one we all gathered next to a hole in the rock. Slowly I made my way to the hole as well to stand next to Grandpa who gave me an assuring smile.

"Don't worry," he mouthed, but that didn't stop the flutters that went on in my stomach.

One at a time I watched as they all entered the hole, and I just stood there, standing in fear when it was my turn until Jonathan gently urged me forward. Taking a step, I put on the light that was on my hat as I stepped into the darkness. Entering I found myself with the others in a small area. We all could barely fit inside, but up ahead I saw Professor Arthur.

"This way," Professor Arthur said, and we all followed him through a door that had most likely always been there way before we were even born.

As I stepped through the door, I paused slightly to stare at the entrance that would lead me down into the unknown. The door was metal, and covered all over it were lines that protruded out of it. They looked like veins even though they matched the dark, almost black colour of the door. And, right in the top centre of the door sat a dirty, but very much golden eye of Horus.

The eye seemed to be staring at me as I looked at it, and I gulped deeply when I felt my stomach doing flops. Somehow I remained transfixed on the eye, my heart pounding against my ribcage as I stared at it. Thankfully another gentle shove from Jonathan snapped me out of it. Smiling at Jonathan apologetically, I took a last look at the eye and stepped in, ignoring the warning bells by shoving them to the back of my mind.

* * *

 **So. How was it? Did you like it? This was just the beginning. Things should get interesting next chapter! I really do hope you enjoyed this chapter, but let me know by just leaving a lovely review. Constructive criticism is forever encouraged by me, so feel free to point out any mistakes that I made.**

 **Review please! Reviews inspire me to write~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Sorry that I was away for such a long time. I was at the end of the school year and things were pretty hectic for me. I didn't have a lot of time on my hands to sit down and type this chapter up, but now I do. That's why you're seeing this update! xD**

 **Anyways, I would like to thank all of you for your kind and wonderful reviews! I'm ecstatic to see the big amount of followers, so I just hope you all continue to keep following and favouriting as we go along. Reviews would be nice too you know! :D**

 **I'll stop talking now.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 2

* * *

"This way, follow closely."

I took deep, slow breaths as we made our way through the tomb. It was damp, dark, and very musky, the scent of decaying bodies and age the only thing I could smell. Covering my nose, I looked up to see Jonathan walking at a good pace ahead of us all, followed by Sabrina, Kevin, Professor Arthur, Grandpa, and then myself at the end of the line which we had somehow made.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of the interior as we made our way down the cramped space. Nothing but dirt and stones surrounded us, and the only thing keeping it up was the wooden beams that bordered the ceiling and walls, and occasionally the floors. Kevin was right. By the look of the beams, I could see that they were extremely weak. They were chafing off, and some parts of the tunnel didn't have any support whatsoever. Why were they dodging the fact that it had to be replaced? The thought of the tomb collapsing just brought me even more worries.

We made another turn in the tunnel, and I watched as we just passed more tunnels that probably led nowhere. It was all making me feel very nervous, but at the same time it exhilarated me. Egypt was so fascinating so I could help but feel excited, but I was also scared. However, they do say a bit nervousness is good. You don't ever want to be too cocky, because who knows, you might never make it back out, and one can never be sure as to what they should expect.

I kept close to Grandpa as we walked down the tunnel, and I could see another bend coming up. It was a long channel. How much time did they take to dig all of this?

I shone my flashlight on the ground, hearing the scrapes that our boots made as we trekked through the darkness. It was still dark even though we had our hardhat lights on and flashlights on. It was hot too. Taking my jacket, I pulled it away from my skin a couple of times to let my body breath. I could feel sweat at the back of my neck, trickling down to my back slowly, but I kept my gaze forward, refusing to take my eyes off of the group. If I got lost…

A cold breeze teased the back of my neck.

I whipped my head around to stare behind me as soon as I felt the chilling wind. My heart milled against my chest in quick beats, but I just shone my flashlight behind me to see if anyone was there. Why did I even suspect that anyone would be there? Eyeing the darkness carefully, I let my guard down. I saw no one, obviously, except for utter darkness.

"Yugi?"

Startled as soon as I turned back around, I closed my eyes in relief when I realised that it was just Grandpa who had his face way too close to mine.

"Gramps, don't do that," I said breathily, opening my eyes again to look at his smirking face.

"What, are you scared?" he teased, and I quickly walked up ahead, him following me.

"No," I shot back, hiding my embarrassed expression by pretending to be interested in where we were going. He chuckled lightly to himself, but seemed to have dropped it since he walked up to talk to Professor Arthur. As soon as he wasn't looking and I was at the back of the line again, I dropped my act and took another look behind me, just to make sure. Cold wind. Where the heck did it even come from?

"Ow, shit!"

I didn't have much time to ponder on my thoughts because a curse from Jonathan had all of us looking down at him. He was on the floor, flashlight strewn aside, and was rubbing his arm fretfully. By the looks of things he seemed to have stumped his foot and fell face first to the ground.

"Watch where you're going, Jon," Sabrina scolded him, and she stepped forward to pick his flashlight up, giving it to him as he stood up.

"Damn Pharaoh, why the hell did he have to build this intricate thing," Jonathan grumbled, still rubbing his arm.

"Hey, Jon, it wasn't the Pharaoh's fault. You stumped on a wood that _we_ had set there," Kevin taunted, and Grandpa and Professor Arthur sniggered. I smiled, watching as Jonathan decided to just complain some more and glare daggers at the wood.

"Whatever. The Pharaoh probably cursed this forsaken place."

"Hey, we don't know that Jonathan. Stop blaming the poor man," Sabrina spoke up as we all continued down the tunnels to our destination. "We hardly know anything about him."

"He has a lot of power though, doesn't he?!" Jonathan shot back quite angrily. I kept quiet. We had only been walking for ten minutes and people we already getting irritated. Not a good sign, especially when you're deep underground and surrounded by dirt with no way out but back.

"Don't blame the King for your downfall. Just, don't," Kevin piped up, and I could clearly see the grin on his face. It seemed to me that Kevin was the only relaxed one here, you know, when you ignore his outburst earlier about the beams.

"He's evil!" Jonathan continued to say, and it was then that I got confused.

"Evil?" I couldn't stop the question from slipping out of my mouth. I wasn't aware that he was considered evil, or bad. Grandpa turned to answer my question, but Kevin beat him to it.

"He's not evil, or at least we don't know that for sure yet," Kevin began. "All we know is that he has a lot of power, and from hieroglyphs that we saw engraved on the walls, there were a few words that kept on popping up. Dark. Darkness, the shadows… It's everywhere."

"Meaning he's evil!"

"Jonathan, give it a break!" Sabrina shouted, exasperated.

"It's possible though," Kevin went on. "All we've seen so far is negative things about him. From tablets we found earlier on about him, he apparently slaughtered his family, like his brother, mother, etc. in their sleeps, took their blood… It's a whole bunch of dark stuff. Maybe that's why they scratched his name out of existence. There's not a trace of it because they didn't want his name on live on. And, maybe that's why his tomb is built like this, so no one would get in."

"Really?" I didn't know about any of that. This Pharaoh, was he into dark magic? "I thought he was amazing though," I then questioned, looking at the black haired man.

"Yeah, he's amazing because he has incredible dark powers that he used to torture his victims. He had a sick mind. He chopped off a slave's hand just because they spilled water and it splashed on him." Kevin said that with a cheeky grin, and it made me wonder how loose he actually was. Seemed to me that he loved to joke around way too much, especially with topics that laughter shouldn't be used to explain.

None of what they were saying added up though. It just didn't make any sense to me. He sounded awful, and a bit immature for chopping off a slave's hand like that, but his father was a great Pharaoh, so, what happened to him? Temper? I don't know. Why am I doubting their facts anyways? There has been evil Pharaohs in Egypt's history. He was probably just another one of them. Dammit. I didn't know much about him since he's just recently been discovered, but it was too little information to judge him on. There's got to be something else. However, if I was in their shoes I would be forced to do the same. Assume, because we haven't got real answers yet. So for now, this King is considered evil when you put all the evidence together, and it sounds like strong evidence.

"Isn't he also a master gamer?" I asked, just wanting to shed some positivity on the spirit. No need to badmouth him in his own tomb… We are kind of trespassing after all. "His father, Pharaoh Aknamkanon did dedicate a stone tablet to his little _Yu-Gi-Oh_. His son, the _King of Games_. His father said that he would grow up to be a great person, and that he's proud of him."

"Yeah, but there's more to that tablet, isn't there?" Sabrina said. "On the tablet there's something that we also found. That 'he', his son, this Pharaoh, shouldn't worry as someone will come and save him."

"Still stumped about that. What did the man mean when he put that in there?" Kevin asked.

"Well," Professor Arthur began, "We don't know if it is Pharaoh Aknamkanon that ordered that tablet to be made with that message."

"If it's there then obviously he would have put it," I said, and Professor Arthur turned to look at me.

"Precisely. That's what we thought too. But, taking a closer look at the tomb and that message, we found something different. It was newer than everything else. So new in fact that there were tools lying next to it that wasn't invented yet in Pharaoh Aknamkanon's time, and probably not in his son's time either."

"We're still trying to figure out if it was put there by his son though," Sabrina said, and I watched as she climbed over a rock that was in the middle of the passageway. "Maybe he knew of his downfall and wanted to make himself look good. He does seem egoistic too. Men, the same no matter in what time they are…"

The others chuckled at Sabrina's last comment, but I couldn't even bring myself to smile. The thought refused to leave my mind. Why? Why would he do something like that? The Pharaoh was evil, and by everything they were saying it seems to be true, but there's still that part of me that… I don't know. I just don't know. I rubbed my forehead, wiping the frustration from my mind. It was all so confusing. I always used facts to make a judgment, but now I'm doubting the facts for a gut feeling? This was very unprofessional of me.

A tingling sensation at the back of my head brings me out of all my thoughts once again. My footsteps slowed, and I could feel that someone was staring at me. That was impossible though. Everyone was in front of me. The memory of the cold breeze from earlier returned and I gulped deeply. Clenching my fists, I took a deep breath, and spun around. I stared into darkness. There was no one there. Hesitantly I turned back around and walked quickly to catch up to the others who were not too far. Being here was already putting me on edge. I needed to calm myself down or I'll really have a heart attack.

"Okay, we're almost there!" Jonathan called, glancing behind him, and I sighed in relief. Finally we can stop walking and get to the exciting part.

I grinned, brushing my fear off. This after all was my first excavation. It was an honour to be here to witness such a moment. And the door, what was behind the door?! My heart pounded quickly out of anticipation instead of fear. There was so much uncertainty and so much wonder that it was becoming hard to contain. Now I know why Grandpa loves this. The rush is amazing!

The tingling sensation returned.

I froze once again and watched with wide eyes as everyone walked up ahead of me. I could feel it, someone staring at me. I turned around and stood there, staring into the pitch black again. All I saw was the bend that we had just turned, and, a flash of white shooting out from the bend and disappearing into the walls. I shone my flashlight on the ground, and my hands started to shake from fear. This was driving me insane. Was that a ghost? There was white, someone was following us. A low howl of the wind met my ears, and it was cold again. I gulped, frozen to the spot.

"Yugi!"

A shout from Grandpa forced me to turn around, and I saw that he was standing a few metres ahead of me, signalling me over to him with his arm. I nodded and took a last look behind me before walking up to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked as I took yet another look behind me, half expecting to see the shape again. I didn't.

"Ah, nothing. I guess the darkness is getting to me. I thought I saw, something…" I trailed off, and he just shook his head and sighed, shooting me an assuring smile.

"Yugi, it's probably nothing. No one is allowed in here without a pass, and even if someone does try to sneak in here, it's impossible because there are people at the entrance making sure no one gets through. Calm down."

I sighed, taking a few breaths to help me calm down. Grandpa was right, and I was just going insane. That's all there is. It was just my mind playing tricks on me.

"Oh, wow," Grandpa exclaimed suddenly, and I was snapped out of my train of thought. Looking up, my mouth fell open as well.

"Here it is, the mysterious door that would hopefully lead us into the Pharaoh's tomb," Jonathan said as we entered a wider area. Everyone separated to take a better look at the door, and I stepped forward to see it for myself as well.

There was a defined outline of a door that was covered by dirt and dried up mud. They seemed to have cleaned some of it because there were more hieroglyphs written all over it, and the eye from before was on it again, vein-like designs popping out of it. Unlike the door we entered through, this was stone and not metal.

"How do you plan on opening it?" I asked, staring in awe at the door. There was no handle, so surely there must be some way for the door to open.

"With this thing right here," and I watched as Jonathan produced a crowbar from his bag.

"Careful, Jonathan. We don't want to be using that just yet. We might damage the door, and for all we know there may be an easier way in opening this thing," Grandpa said, wiping some dust off the door.

"Aw, you're no fun Solomon," Jonathan whined playfully, but he put the crowbar down.

"What does it say, Gramps?" I asked, stepping up to inspect the door further. I watched as Grandpa's eyes squinted, and I shone my flashlight on it so that he could see even better. Little bugs crawled around and I stepped back in fear, but Grandpa seemed to not care even a tiny bit.

"I can't make it out," Grandpa replied. "Sabrina, think you can lend me your eyes?" I stepped away as Sabrina came up to us, and I watched from a distance as the others bustled around, getting things ready. I stood at the back, not wanting to be a disturbance to them.

It didn't take too long for them to get everything ready, and soon they were all digging a little bit here and there, looking over notes and had everything spread out. They lit a few torches, and the entire area was illuminated in mere seconds. The door hadn't budged at all though, and it didn't take long for Grandpa and Jonathan to get into a friendly argument on how they should go about opening the door.

Again, I stiffened when I felt the presence and the obvious sense of chilling wind.

" _No, it's nothing. Don't you dare turn around Yugi Moto,"_ I scolded myself, and I steeled myself to the floor, refusing to take my gaze away from the group. If I turned around, it would be clear that I was hallucinating. Nothing was there. The breeze was just trapped air, and the white was probably just made because my eyes switched from light to darkness too quickly.

I felt the wind again, and it was longer this time. There was howling, whispering, in my ears, and I used my shoulder to brush my ear as if it was going to help the sound go away. The howling thought just got louder, more desperate, and I had to wonder how no one else was hearing it. It got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to turn around. _"It will turn out to be nothing, you'll see,"_ I mentally yelled at myself, and with one go I turned around, to almost drop my flashlight from shock.

There, at the end of the passageway, stood a tall man dressed in white robes. He was tanned, a white turban on his head, and he stared at me with a calculating gaze. I clenched my fists in anger as I realised that it was just a worker. How did he get in here, and why was he following us like this?! Feeling anger swell up inside of me due to the way he made me feel like I was going insane, I looked back to call out for the others only to stop when I saw that they were busy. I shook the thought of getting them involved away. I'll deal with this man myself.

With purpose I marched over to the man, and as soon I opened my mouth to yell at him, he took off. He turned around and raced down the passageway. I was confused at first, but this man had annoyed the crap out of me for long enough. I gave chase without a second thought. He didn't make a sound, and his robes flowed behind him as he ran. He was odd, but all I knew was that he was going to get yelled at. He turned left, and without thinking I turned left too and continued to follow him, going down tunnels that I didn't go through when coming in with the group.

"Stop!" I yelled out, but the man didn't listen. I watched with irritation as he turned another corner, and as soon as I turned the corner too, I stopped in my tracks.

There was a wall in front of me. There were no other tunnels, just a dead end. _"Where did he go?"_ I asked myself as I breathed deeply to catch my breath. This was crazy. Did he take another turn somewhere? I looked at the wall in front of me, only to step closer to it. This wasn't a random dead end. It was a wall. A stone wall with hieroglyphs all over it. I stepped forward to read what was on it when I felt the presence again. Whipping my head around, I came face to face with the man. He stared down at me, and it was then when I noticed the big height difference. No matter.

"Hey," I raised my finger to point at him, "What are you-" and I didn't get far because the man grabbed my wrist in a tight grip, his eyes glowing a golden colour fiercely.

"He's waiting," the man said hauntingly. His grip with strong, and by hearing the sound of his voice, something in the back of my mind ignited the need to get away as fast as I could. I struggled, but he held on to me tighter.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, and the man moved towards the wall, and I watched with horror as the wall glowed a golden colour. He began to walk into the wall, and seeing it made me want to run even further away. "No, stop!" I screamed, fear-stricken, and I tried my best to pull away.

"He's waiting," the man repeated in the same tone, and looking at him I saw that his entire body was through the wall. He was taking me with him! I whimpered helplessly as he pulled my arm through the wall, and seeing my hand gone, I panicked even further.

"Let me go! Let me go! Grandpa!" I shrieked loudly, crawling and thrashing about the walls and digging my boots into the ground to get away. In a frenzy, I took my flashlight and threw it at the wall, and it was then when I was catapulted into the passageway. I stood up, staring at the glowing wall, and without waiting I dashed away as fast as I could.

No proper thoughts came into my head as I ran, and I could feel tears coursing down my face. It was then when I realised that I was lost, and I look back and forth into two directions. I was close to breaking down, and I began to pace, watching the tunnel I had just come out from expectantly. My heart was beating irregularly. What the hell?! What the hell just happened!?

"Grandpa!" I yelled, and by this point I was openly sobbing out of frustration and confusion.

"Yugi!" I heard Grandpa's voice in the distance, followed with running footsteps. "Where are you?!" Grandpa shouted, and without hesitating I ran in the direction of the voice. Seeing him run towards me, I immediately grabbed him tightly in a hug. He was surprised, and looked very much worried, but sighed in relief. I just hugged him tightly, hyperventilating.

"Yugi, what happened? Where were you?!" he asked, and seeing my state he held my face and rubbed my back to calm me down. "What happened?" he asked again.

No words came to my mind. I couldn't get the incident out of my head. I just stood there before everyone, having a mental breakdown. "Grandpa, I- I saw…"

"What did you see?" he asked quietly, but I just continued to cry.

"Okay, you know what, maybe we should call it a day," I heard Sabrina say quietly. No one said anything, so they all must have agreed.

"C'mon Yugi, let's go," Grandpa said, and I felt him push me in the direction of the entrance of the tomb.

"Kevin, walk with them. The rest of us will pack up and come out," I heard Jonathan then say, and from the corner of my eye I saw Kevin nod.

"C'mon, let's go," Grandpa urged again, and I was more than willing to leave as soon as possible.

* * *

 **There we go! The end of the chapter! How did you all like it? Did you like the little horror at the end? I know I sure did. Tell me what you think by leaving a wonderful review. I really want to know you thoughts! Besides, reviews inspire me to write and if I get good reviews, I'll update ASAP. So, I hoped you liked it. Keep reading!**

 **Thanks! Review… xD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, and continuous support for this story. It makes me very happy to see that so many of you are interested in reading, and it pushes me forward to make this story as amazing and great as possible. I do hope that you all stay interested, and I do hope that I get more of your love. Thank you! I hope you like this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. So, without any further delay…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 3

* * *

My eyes drooped shut as I tried to stare at the television screen, listening half-heartedly to what the people on screen were saying. Sitting on the couch and trying to keep my mind busy was proving to be difficult since it was just so hard to watch TV when the language wasn't in Japanese, or English. It seemed to me that if I wanted to pursue Archaeology and still be able catch up on the world, I may have to start learning Arabic because I just couldn't understand what anyone was saying.

Flipping through the channels, I finally gave up and stopped on what seemed to be a news channel, then tossed the remote away and propped my bare feet up on to the coffee table in front of me. I groaned, rubbing my eyes with my hands before moving them away to blink a couple of times. I was becoming lazy, and that was something I refused to let happen to me. There had to be something productive for me to do to help pass the time. A good book would suffice, but, what kind… Ah ha!

Getting up quickly, I walked through the small hotel and into our shared bedroom, and began to search for those books Grandpa had told me about before he left two days ago. He had tons of books filled with information about Pharaoh Aknamkanon and the history of those before him, so it wouldn't hurt to read them. Now that the thought dawned on me, I wondered why I hadn't thought of doing so before. Learning about Egypt was my life! It should have been the first thing on my mind when I decided to just stay home.

As soon as I made it into the bedroom, I scratched my head with confusion as I scanned the messy room for Grandpa's suitcase. He had all his favourite books in there, so it would be a good place to start looking. Walking up to the white sheeted bed, I glanced underneath and pulled out the olive coloured suitcase. _"Please be in here…"_ I mentally begged.

Since Grandpa was away on the dig with the group for the past two days, it was up to me to find where the books were hidden in the huge mess. If I couldn't find it, well, I would have to wait until he called me. He would be too busy to even talk to me right now, if I called, because they were getting closer to figuring out what's behind that mysterious door. Luckily he called me a couple of times a day because I had left him pretty shaken up when I had went with them on the first day. I've never seen him look so alarmed and worried. Pausing my search through the suitcase, I closed my eyes and cringed as the memories surged forward.

I had never screamed and cried as much as I did that day, nor have I ever felt so scared. It frightened me so much that I refused to return to the tomb no matter how much and how long Grandpa, Kevin, and Sabrina stayed behind and tried to assure me that what I saw was probably just my imagination. That was impossible though. I know what I saw, and it was very much real. Too real.

I grinned when I finally spotted them, and I dropped the shirt that was in my hand on to the floor and quickly grabbed the books which were buried at the bottom. There were four books, so one by one I took them out and packed one on top of another in the crook of my left arm. Standing up, I shifted the books to get a better grip. They were big, so I had to hold them while I carefully walked back to the living room.

It was all terribly confusing. And the biggest part of all was that robed man who was the cause of all my stress. Who was he anyways? What did he want? And, what did he mean by, "he's waiting"? Who's waiting?! And why did he want me to go? I clenched my eyes shut, feeling a dull, painful throb in my brain. Great. A migraine. Just what I needed.

My eyes snapped open and my heart shot up to my throat when I heard a loud thud on the floor, but now that I wasn't clenching my eyes shut I realised that it was I who caused the sound. I had seemingly dropped the books where were probably slipping off of each other without me knowing since I was thinking too much instead of concentrating on what I was doing.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply before slowly getting down to one knee to pick them up. If I just stayed here in the hotel, I wouldn't be able to see, or think about seeing the robed man again. Besides, I had disrupted the crew's work enough already. They were on the verge of a huge discovery and I don't want to be a thorn in their side which was stopping them from achieving their goal.

Shaking the thoughts out of my mind, I took a few more deep breaths and made my way back to the couch after dodging all the papers and piles of books that were scattered around the place. Flopping down, I put the books on the coffee table and grabbed the book on top of the pile. I was alone, but thankfully the sounds from the TV made up for the loss of noise, filling up the eerie quiet.

With the book on my lap and both my hands resting on the brown, hard cover, I couldn't stop myself from leaning my head back on the couch and allowing my eyes to slip shut. Now that I was finally relaxing, I emptied my mind. My entire body slowly loosened from their stiff posture, and I just allowed myself to drift off into the darkness. A content smile graced my face, and just when I thought that all my worries were gone, a flash of gold exploded and disappeared behind my eyes.

Immediately I stiffened and tried to open my eyes, but it felt as if I was frozen in place. My eyes wouldn't open, and my body just refused to move. Shouts of men and the hiss of a whip smacking on something rang through my ears while flashes of different scenes took over my mind. Sand was seen for miles, but then the images changed into something more specific. The vision switched to a tanned face where a smirk played on the person's thin lips. Hair like lightning bolts clouded my view, making me see stars, and red, thick blood was splattered everywhere.

Desperately I tried to open my eyes, but they were still held shut. I could feel my body struggling, only to be magnetically pulled back to the chair, locking me in place. It was as if someone wanted me to stay here, to watch these visions. They didn't want me to try to break away from this hellish nightmare because no matter how much I struggled, my eyes couldn't open. I couldn't make a single sound even though my face was twisted into fear, and even if my heart pounded against my chest like a ramming post against a door.

I watched unwillingly as the smirk of the person disappeared and transformed into a fearful cry, and crimson eyes shooting open in terror. Blood was strewn across closed eyelids with thick lashes, marring the tanned skin, and it was then when I finally bolted up from the couch, breathing heavily, my blue t-shirt soaked with sweat. Now that my eyes were wide open and the dream was gone, I raised my hands and clenched them tightly as they trembled. My body shook, absolutely petrified by what I just saw, and I slouched forward and buried my face into my hands which were propped up on my knees.

"What's happening to me?" I asked myself shakily, struggling to control my erratic breathing.

Pulling my face away from my hands, I stared into my palm for a short moment before dropping my gaze to the floor. I sniffed and brushed my hand through my hair in hopes that it would calm me down. It helped a little, but it only gave my brain the opportunity to raise tons of questions.

" _What was that? Why did I have such a vision? What was it about?!"_ I knew I would get no answer, and that thought scared me even more. It was all just too strange. If I didn't get an explanation as soon as possible, I was pretty sure that I would go insane. First of all though, I needed to calm down.

Moving the book off of my lap and on to the couch, I got up and slowly inched my way to the kitchen after I picked up the remote and turned the TV off. I was feeling lightheaded all of a sudden, so I was forced to hold on to the walls for support as I moved. Once I reached the kitchen, I went to the fridge and pulled the door open, taking out the jug of cold water that was inside. Wiping sweat off my upper lip, I poured some water into a glass and leaned my body against the cupboard, feeling even more exhausted than before. My heart was beating so fast that it felt as if I had just ran a marathon.

Squeezing my eyes shut and shaking my head once, I took a gulp of water, feeling the cold liquid run down my throat and into my stomach. I was starting to feel even hotter than before now. Drinking all the water, I went to the sink and turned the cold water on and splashed my face with it. I used the icy cold water to wipe my neck and arms, and I just kept on repeating it until my hair was almost soaked. Breathing deeply, I was about to throw some more water on my face when I froze. I watched uneasily as the water poured out from the tap and spiraled down the drain, the rushing water and the beating of my heart the only thing I could hear. Taking deep breaths to calm myself as I started to lose my composed self again, I gripped the sink tightly.

Someone was behind me.

The first thing that I thought of was the presence of the robed man, and as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I grabbed a long knife that was lying next to the sink and spun around with it raised to attack. Only problem was that there was no one there.

Trembling, the knife fell from my hands since I loosened my grip, and it clattered to the wooden floor. In disbelief I too dropped, my knees hitting the surface before I could process anything. I just sat there in shock, feeling tears welling up behind my eyes when I realised that I was just being delusional. I was still terrified. Nothing had changed. Bringing my hands to my forehead, I brushed my hair back fretfully. _"What's wrong with me?!"_ I mentally screamed.

This place, this place was messing with my mind. The more I stayed here the more I would go crazy, or seem to go crazy. I haven't had a single good night's sleep for the past few days, and just when I thought things were getting better they spiralled even more out of control as soon as I closed my eyes. Literally. Maybe I should just go back to Domino. Hopefully then I'll be able to forget about all of this. Yes. I'll just go home and forget about this entire trip.

My head snapped up when a cackle was heard coming from the living room. It wasn't laughter. It was the sound of the television. And to prove it, I heard excited voices coming from the box. But, how could that be? I had turned the thing off when I got up.

Shaking, feeling extremely nervous, I slowly got back up to my feet. My eyes didn't move from the direction of the living room and as I began to walk with my eyes trained on the back of the couch, I heard the excitement of the voices getting higher and words spilling out of whoever's mouth even faster. I didn't understand a word of what they were saying, but I was able to see the TV from beside the couch. With my eyes on the screen, I didn't need anyone to tell me what was going on. The images explained everything.

On the screen, it was easy for me to identify where they were at. They were in the Valley of the Kings, very close to where the tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh was. The person, a man, was talking very quickly as he probably explained what was going on, and it was then when I leaned closer to take a look having seen an English headline roll across the bottom of the screen.

STONE SLAB HAS BEEN UNCOVERED IN THE TOMB OF THE NAMELESS PHARAOH.

I held my breath as a pre-recorded video of the said slab was shown, and it was then when all the blood in my body turned to ice. The slab was huge. They showed a long shot of the stone, but as they zoomed in closer I saw many, many pictures carved into the thing. Three images that looked to be monsters were on it, and there were two people, each with a distinct monster over their head. The person on the left looked to be a priest of some sort, but the person on the right… I gulped deeply, my vision returning to my mind.

The person depicted on the right side of the slab looked a lot like the person in my nightmare. Spikes like lightening bolts shot out of his head, golden bangs in my vision, and fierce eyes that were revealed in my dream to be blood red. And, now that I could see this person fully, I shivered when I grasped the fact that the person looked like a striking image of myself. I unconsciously touched my hair as I stared at the person on the screen. It was impossible. It was too real, and too much to be just a coincidence. Was that it? Was that what they found in the hidden room? I began to step backwards, my eyes still glued on the screen. It can't be real.

Ring~ Ring~

I jumped, my insides feeling as if they were going to spill out of my mouth when the sound of the phone scared the living daylights out of me. I stumbled over to the phone, and with shaky hands I picked the receiver up. Somehow I found my lost voice because I answered very hesitantly, my throat suddenly scratching.

"H-Hello?" I stuttered, still unable to hide the fear that was layered thickly over each syllable.

" _Yugi! My boy, you wouldn't believe what we had uncovered!"_

I slouched against the wall, relief flooding my system as I realised that it was only Grandpa who had called. Managing to break into a smile, I shut my eyes momentarily before responding.

"Yeah, I was just watching the news. So you guys managed to open up the door, huh?"

" _Yes, Yugi! It was incredible! That was why I was unable to call you. We've been so busy around here. I managed to break away to give you a call and tell you the good news, but you found out all on your own!"_ he chuckled lightly and I could practically imagine him standing on the other end, shaking his head as he laughed.

"So, Grandpa, what is the slab about?" I asked, trying to sound as calm as possible so that I wouldn't worry him.

First I have that freaky vision, and then I find out minutes later that the slab found in the place where I had seen the robed man had the person in my vision on it. They all connected too easily. It was so strange that I suddenly had the urge to find out everything about it. Who was that person I saw on the slab and in my vision. That was my main concern. Was the person on the slab and in my vision the Nameless Pharaoh? And if so, how? How was that even possible? No one has seen his face before, and no one knew who he was until just now! It was all making my head hurt. I hoped none of this connected to the robed man.

" _There are two people on the slab. The one on the right is the Pharaoh, and the one on the left is his cousin, Set, who was the Pharaoh after him! Yugi, I'm telling you. We've hit it! We've made history!"_

As soon as Grandpa said that, once more the vision popped into my mind and I felt all my blood drain down to my legs. I had a vision of the Pharaoh? The Pharaoh?! No, this was way too crazy to even try to process. I just had to be dreaming. This entire day, I had to be having an awful nightmare. Unfortunately for me it was no nightmare. It was real.

Grandpa continued. _"Their names were carved at the bottom, that's how we knew about Set, but, the one on the right, his name was scratched off. It's just an assumption as of now, but we're pretty darn sure that the person there is the Nameless Pharaoh. What else could explain his name being gotten rid of?"_

I nodded, gulping deeply, my entire body trembling once again. "Th-That's great, Grandpa. It's incredible."

" _It is! Yugi, my boy, I wish you were here to see it. It's so fascinating once you see it up close. There are hieroglyphs everywhere. You would be a great help in deciphering it."_

Overwhelmed, I felt tears slipping down my face as I clenched my eyes shut, my hand gripping the phone. "G-Grandpa, I-I can't…"

A pause. _"Don't tell me you're still afraid, Yugi? I swear, everything is fine. There's nothing to be afraid about! Please-"_

"N-No!" I pleaded, and a sob unleashed from my mouth. It was then when I knew that I couldn't hide it for any longer. "I-I can't stay here anymore!"

" _Yugi? Yugi, are you crying? Please, calm down, stop crying. Everything will be fine."_

"No, they won't. Grandpa, they would just get worse. I can't stay here. I'm…" I took a deep breath before just saying it. "I'm leaving. I'll book a flight for tonight, and go back home. I just can't take this anymore. I'm too scared. I'm scared that I'm losing my mind the more I stay here."

" _Yugi, please, wait. I'll come home and we'll talk about this. Don't do anything rash, please wait. I'll be home as soon as I can, okay? And we'll talk about it."_

He sounded concerned and very worried, and I almost felt bad that I wanted to just pack up and leave all of a sudden. But, I knew that this was what I had to do. I would going to go insane if I stayed here for much longer. I couldn't hide and continue being afraid. Hopefully once I left the country, everything will go back to normal.

"I'll be leaving tonight," I said firmly, and it was then when I stopped my pacing to look up, only to drop the phone in shock. Before me stood the robed man, staring directly into my eyes with those hypnotising orbs of his.

"He's waiting. He's been waiting for so long," the man said, approaching me slowly. I couldn't move. I was rooted to the ground, breathing erratically, my mind shattering on the inside from fear as I stared at him, horrified.

"No…" I whispered, taking a tiny step back. "No, no, stay away from me!" I shouted, and with another step I found myself backed up into another wall.

"You can't leave. He's been waiting long enough for you. You have to go. The Nameless Pharaoh is waiting for you." And without blinking nor changing his tone at all, the man reached out to grab my arm. Before he could touch me though, my eyes rolled back and I crumpled to the ground, my vision being plunged into darkness, Grandpa's voice the last thing I heard, and the robed man's face looking down at me the last thing I saw.

" _Yugi? Yugi!"_

* * *

 **And there we go! Another cliff hanger (I think) for another awesome chapter. Did you like it? I liked it! Was "the robed man's" presence okay? Was everything believable? Was the chapter good according to you? How do you like it? Please tell me by leaving a lovely review. I will certainly reply, and I will try to update again soon.**

 **Keep on enjoying! There's more exciting things to come.**

 **Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh my gosh everyone! Thank you so much for the amazing reviews! Seeing all of the kind words gave me the will to start writing the next chapter the very next day. I have up to chapter eight planned out, so hey, I can start writing any time. You guys reviewed, so I had to be a good sport and update quickly. Right? This story just seems to be getting better and better.**

 **RESPONSE~**

 **i – Thank you so much for your wonderful support and all of your help. Truly, I strive to improve my writing and become as great as I can, and with help like this I can accomplish just that. Of course, I will always listen to suggestions and your opinions are never tossed away. I sat for two hours and stared at the previous chapter just fixing and editing after your review. I tried my best, and re-uploaded the previous chapter. Is it up to great standards? xD So, thank you once again for you constructive criticism and kind words, and I do hope that you continue to enjoy the story. :)**

 **So, everyone! I do hope you all like this chapter, and remember that help is always appreciated.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 4

* * *

With a start my eyes shot open, my heart feeling as if it was going to pop out of my chest as soon as I awoke. Blinking slowly I noticed that my vision was dark despite the fact that my eyes were half opened, and as I tried to focus so that I could see something, all I ended up seeing were bright dots that clouded my mind. Feeling a sudden throb in my head the more I tried to focus, I let out a groan and laid back down on to the soft thing I had been laying on. My body felt lifeless, and absolutely weak. I could barely feel my arms and legs from how numb my form felt. Clenching my teeth as hard as I could, I desperately tried to force myself to move. I couldn't stay here. That ghost, who knows what he was going to do to me. He took me to who knows where and why. He had probably done something to me, that's why I couldn't move. But no. I can't let this happen.

Forcing my eyes open again, I snapped it back shut as soon as a bright light hit me. It was so white. Was I dead? Did the ghost take me to the afterlife? Panic began to settle in my mind, and I made my eyes open once more. The light was still there, but this time there was a dark shadow looming above me. I took quick breaths, breathing deeply as I stared up at the thing that towered over my face through my half-lidded eyes. Who was this? Was this the ghost? Wh-Where am I?

"Yugi…"

My breaths started to come out even faster as I heard my name resonating around me. How does it know my name? I tried very hard to move my arms and legs, the urge to leave this place getting increasingly stronger. I could sense that my limbs were moving, however I could barely feel them. A feeble cry escaped my lips as I felt the person above me holding my hands and touching my face, and I struggled even more to get them away from me.

"N-No, stay away…" I managed to say, and I clenched my eyes shut and turned my head.

"Yugi... Yugi calm down," the voice said, and it rubbed my head gently, smoothing out my hair in a comforting manner. Feeling the familiar warmth, I slowly ceased my movements.

"Yugi, it's me, Grandpa. Calm down, you're okay," the voice said again, and it was then when the familiarity sunk in.

"Grandpa..?" I questioned hesitantly, and I opened my eyes and turned back to look up at the person. I saw them nod their head, and seeing warm purple eyes shining down at me, I calmed down immediately, relief flooding my system.

"Grandpa," I said, this time more firmly and out of relief. The person nodded again.

"Yes. Grandpa."

As if it was a password, slowly I began to feel my arms and legs again and my vision quickly began to clear up. In no time I stared up at my Grandpa who struggled to hold back tears, immense worry clearly plastered on his face.

"What happened?" I asked unsurely, and I watched as he blinked a few times. I knew what happened to me, but the question as to why I was still here bothered me a lot. I remembered that the ghost was in the house and wanted to take me with him, and then I fainted from fear only to now wake up in my bed. Why? Truly, I'm glad that the ghost didn't take me with him, but it was all too confusing to even understand why he didn't even though he wanted me.

"Well, we were talking on the phone and you were telling me that you were going home, when you suddenly, dropped the phone and started screaming." I watched sadly as Grandpa shivered, looking down at his lap as he sat next to the side of the bed. He looked back up at me, and it was there when I saw fear hidden behind his strong, confident and adventurous eyes. He continued, "Hearing no reply from you, immediately I rushed here to see what had happened, and when I entered I saw you passed out on the floor next to the bookcase."

"Son, you gave us quite a scare when we came and saw you on the floor like that." Hearing the new voice, I looked up and finally noticed Professor Arthur standing next to the foot of the bed. "You were so pale that for a second we thought you were dead. Thankfully it wasn't so."

"We were ready to rush you to the hospital, that's how bad you looked," Grandpa said, and I felt him clasp his big hands around my left one. "You were only unconscious, and there were no injury, so we brought you to the bed and you've been out since then. It's three in the morning now."

"Three?" I repeated, shocked at the time. It had only been early this afternoon when I saw the ghost. I've been out for more than twelve hours?

"Yugi, tell us, what happened?" Professor Arthur then asked, and it was then when my eyes dropped to stare at my feet which were covered with the white blanket. I stayed quiet, not sure how to reply to their question. Grandpa had the same curious expression on his face, clearly waiting to hear the answer, but…

"I saw the ghost."

Looking up, I stared at the two surprised expressions that were thrown at me. Neither of them said a word, and I mentally berated myself for saying anything at all. I had nothing to explain my screams to them, so the truth was all I got.

"What, ghost?" Grandpa asked slowly, and at that I sighed.

"The ghost I saw in the tomb that day. He was here," I replied softly, and it was Grandpa's turn to sigh.

"Yugi…"

"No, Grandpa. I'm serious. I did see the ghost. He wanted to take me with him somewhere," I tried to explain. I knew what he was going to say. He was going to tell me that I was just imagining everything. Well I wasn't! I know what I saw, and it wasn't just my mind playing tricks on me. Ugh, I should have just kept quiet.

"Yugi, what did this ghost look like?" Not expecting such a question, I looked back up to stare at Professor Arthur. He was looking at me seriously.

"Arthur, please, you don't have to-" Grandpa began, but he was cut off with an assuring look from the Professor.

"Calm down, Solomon. You know it as well as I do. In our field of work, sightings of spirits are not uncommon. Surely there must be some truth to what Yugi claims to have seen," Professor Arthur said, and it was then when I was even more intrigued by what he was saying. "So Yugi, tell me who you saw."

I was cautious at first to tell him, but in the end I decided to just say it. I've already said more than I should have so I might as well say the rest. Or, some of the rest. No need for them to ship me off to an asylum so early.

"Well, he was tall and tanned, looked Egyptian, and he wore a white robe with a white turban over his head." I paused for a moment, trying to think of what else to say when Professor Arthur asked me another question.

"What did he want, Yugi?"

At this my breath got caught in my throat. I could feel myself going white, and uneasily I glanced up to look into Professor Arthur's eyes. Seeing the expression, he asked me again, and this time I just let the breath out and answered.

"He said that he was waiting for me," I said, and at that Grandpa and Professor Arthur fell silent yet again, dumbstruck.

"Who's waiting?" Grandpa asked slowly, and I turned to him, then answered.

"The Nameless Pharaoh."

"The Nameless Pharaoh?" Grandpa repeated, looking very surprised, and I just nodded, clenching the blanket tightly.

"The curse…" Professor Arthur said to no one in particular, but Grandpa and I looked up at him.

"C'mon Arthur, don't tell me that you believe in curses too," Grandpa said, looking quite bemused by the Professor's thought. However, the Professor looked up and nodded.

"Don't you see, Solomon?" he began, stepping closer to Grandpa. "Maybe Yugi is the one who is to fulfill the prophecy of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh chose him, maybe that's why the guardian is trying to get Yugi to go to him."

"Guardian? What guardian?" I asked, the thought of putting a name to the mysterious man sounding very promising.

"The guardian who guards the Pharaoh's. He helps them in the afterlife," Professor Arthur told me, and I leaned back, quite surprised. Why was he coming after me then?

Grandpa stood up and shook his head frantically. "No, that can't be Arthur. The curse isn't real. It can't be real. Besides, what would the Pharaoh want with my grandson? That man had plunged the world into absolute darkness, and was destroyed by it. Seth was one of the greatest rulers there ever was. He stopped his evil reign and put an end to that chaos. I refuse to allow my Grandson anywhere near him."

"But Grandpa…" I began, and Grandpa broke away from arguing with the Professor to look at me. "Even if you keep me away, he will still find me. He found me today, in the hotel room. He will find me no matter where I go. I can't run from him."

My heart pained as I admitted the truth to myself out loud, and it was then when I understood how trapped I was. No matter where I went, he would find me and try to take me with him. It was as if I was cursed. I am cursed. But why? Why me? Why not someone else, and why only now?

"Yugi does look a lot like the Pharaoh, Solomon," Professor Arthur continued. "Maybe that's why the Nameless Pharaoh wants him. The prophecy said of someone coming to save him. Maybe he wants a new vessel, and when Yugi entered his tomb the curse was activated."

"Arthur, enough. I'm sorry, but I don't want my grandson being a vessel for no evil spirit, and I really don't want him anywhere near that tomb," Grandpa ranted. "Besides, it may not even be real. So stop scaring him and worrying me unnecessarily."

"C'mon Solomon, you don't really believe that," Professor Arthur asked, but Grandpa just looked away. Sighing in defeat, Professor Arthur fell silent for a while before speaking again.

"You know what, maybe you're right. It may not be real, and I hope that your theory becomes true. Because, if this is real, I don't know how we can stop it from happening."

Grandpa turned to Professor Arthur and gave a small smile. "We'll figure it out," he said, and then turned towards me. "I won't let anything happen to Yugi. Nothing will harm or possess him as long as we're together. Okay?"

I smiled, and nodded.

"Well then," Professor Arthur said, this time sighing in relief. Picking up his coat and hat, he walked towards the door. "I hope everything works out. Yugi, you take care of yourself, alright?" I nodded. "I'll be off then."

"I'll walk you to the door," Grandpa said, but before he followed him he turned to me. "Should I get you some tea, Yugi?" he asked, and the thought of something hot running down my throat sounded very filling, so I nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back." And with that, I watched as the two left the room.

Now that I was alone, I leaned back on the bedrest and pulled my legs up to my up a bit to my chest. This was all so stressful. What was I to do or even believe? The prophecy of the Nameless Pharaoh states that someone would come and save him, and Professor Arthur thinks that I may be that someone. It makes sense as to why the guardian may be after me, but why? I don't want to fulfill this prophecy. And magic? Ghosts? This was all just crazy. No sane person would believe this. Dark magic was something that was used thousands of years ago. No one believes in it these days. Most aren't even aware. But what I've seen isn't a trick of the mind, and it's a fact that I can't run. So, what should I do? How can I get out of this?

I leaned forward when Grandpa walked back into the room with a cup filled with steaming tea, prepared just the way I liked it. One spoon sugar, no milk. Bringing it up to my nose and smelling the calming aroma, I watched as smoke from the heat of the tea swirled up into the air. Hearing shuffling, I looked up to see Grandpa sitting down on the bed before me, a creak following.

"Are you sure you're okay, Yugi?" Grandpa asked again, and I nodded.

"As great as I'll ever be," I replied, and hesitantly I went took a sip only to pull back as the heat threatened to burn my lip off. Deciding to just change the topic, I looked up at Grandpa.

"So, tell me about the excavation. What did you find?" Grandpa shifted in his seat and gazed at me with concern, only to nod and answer my question.

"Well, the only thing we found in there was the slab. It was a small room, but as soon as we stepped in the slab was before us." He coughed, his brow wrinkling as he sniffed deeply before continuing. "It was quite interesting."

"What was on it?" I pushed on, remembering the two people and the various monsters.

"The slab, from what we uncovered so far, depicts a battle between the Nameless Pharaoh and one of his priests, his cousin, Seth. That right there was fascinating to us." Grandpa paused, staring at his hands before looking up to meet my interested gaze. "Apparently that is how Seth became Pharaoh. Since it seems the Nameless Pharaoh died before he could produce an heir, Seth took his place as King seeing as they were blood."

"How did the Nameless Pharaoh die?" I questioned. I doubt he had an answer this early on in through their research, and from whatever the slab could say, but it was still worth a shot. The Pharaoh must have been pretty young yet if he wasn't able to have an heir for the throne.

"He died because Set defeated him in a Shadow Game," Grandpa said, and I rose a brow.

"A Shadow Game?"

He nodded. "I'm not too sure about the details, but it was a fierce battle. Set had his monsters, and the Nameless Pharaoh had the Egyptian Gods on his side. The three monsters at the top of the slab shows the three of them. From assumptions, and seeing as Set came out a winner, it must have been a duel for Egypt. Life and death type of thing. We could be wrong, but I highly doubt it. The Nameless Pharaoh was evil. Why else would Set readily walk into a battle where it seemed that he would lose?"

It was my turn to nod, understanding a bit more of the situation. As I learned more however, the more nervous I got about my own predicament. Set after all was a great Pharaoh. He was noble, fair, righteous, and from what Grandpa was saying he battled his cousin for Egypt. He won too, so that has to say something about the Nameless Pharaoh's character. There had to be a good reason, but is that reason really because the Nameless Pharaoh was evil?

"We're trying to decode more of the secrets of that tomb. I still believe that the Nameless Pharaoh's resting place is still hidden somewhere. We just have to find it," Grandpa continued to say, and without looking at his in the eye I nodded distractedly.

"He looks a lot like me, Gramps," I said slowly. "Are you really sure that the prophecy isn't about me?"

Grandpa sighed and stood up, patting my head. "Don't worry, Yugi. He may look like you, but that is just a coincidence. Nothing more. And don't worry about anything. We'll figure this out, alright?"

I bobbed my head once and stared at the bedsheet, only to look back at my hands and realise that my tea had gone cold. Absentmindedly I stared at the cup, smoothing my left thumb across the green designs that circled the edge.

"He has red eyes…" I said under my breath, not even aware that I had said it until Grandpa glanced at me.

"What did you say, Yugi?"

"Oh, nothing," I said quickly, smiling at him. He gave me a long look before speaking once again.

"Are you sure you want to go home? This is a great opportunity for you regarding your career, and things like these don't happen very often. But, if you think that you still can't stay, I won't force you to."

I sighed, giving him my cold cup. "I just don't know what to do anymore, Gramps. It's all too confusing to even try to make sense of."

Grandpa nodded, taking the cup from me. "Alright then. You get some rest, okay. We'll talk more tomorrow. I have to call Sabrina and tell her that you've woken up. She was worried about you, so I'll come to bed soon," Grandpa said, and without fuss I nodded.

"Okay. Goodnight, Gramps."

"Goodnight, Yugi," and the door clicked shut.

Leaning back into the bed before sinking down between the sheets, it was when I my head hit the soft pillow did I realise how exhausted and mentally drained I was. I glanced up when the door opened, Grandpa stepping outside. He paused and gave me another reassuring smile, and then turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. From the faint glow around the room I turned my head to stare out the window. It was dark out, a blue tint to the sky as this side of the earth turned towards the sun. It would be morning soon, so I might as well get some proper sleep. I don't think passing out is a form of sleep. Might be, but hey, I'm not a doctor, or… whatever those people are called who deals with sleep related, things.

Allowing my eyes to slip shut, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep, only to get carried off once again by a vision. This one was less violent than the other, but it caught my interest none the less.

I was dropped into a garden where the boiling sun blared down throughout the entire area where only a certain amount of very decorative canopies produced some shade. As I looked around the place, exotic flowers bloomed, some that I haven't even seen before in my entire life.

" _How's my little son today? You want to play, don't you?"_

" _Father, play!"_

Looking up, I watched as a door opened to see a man dressed in a white tunic with a purple jacket on top, decked in gold jewellery stepped outside, not the least bit bothered by the rays of the sun. In his arms was a little boy who looked to be the age of around six years old, and I held my breath as the boy's appearance looked exactly the same to a baby picture of myself. However, this boy was tanned just like the man, but the hair styles were different. While the child's hair was multi-coloured like mine, the man had brown short hair with a short beard, and brown eyes while the boy had blood red ones that I knew all too well.

" _The Nameless Pharaoh…"_ I thought to myself, and looking at the man only one person came to my mind as to who he may be. Was he Pharaoh Aknamkanon? And if so, was I seeing a clip of the past?!

" _Father, father, catch me!"_ the boy yelled, running around his father, and seeing the Pharaoh laugh out loud and try to catch the boy warmed my heart. The Nameless Pharaoh looked so innocent. How could he possibly be evil? Unfortunately the moment was short lived because soon a couple of guards emerged from presumably the palace, and walked straight up to the Pharaoh. Dropping to a knee, they spoke.

" _My Pharaoh, the priests are waiting for you in the throne room. An important matter needs to be discussed,"_ one said, and while the Pharaoh talked to them, I watched his son who paused and watched them with a saddened, and very disappointed expression. And when Pharaoh Aknamkanon turned around, the boy looked at him with disappointment as if he knew what he was going to say.

" _I'm sorry, son,"_ Pharaoh Aknamkanon said, and I mentally screamed when he didn't say his name. _"I have important work to attend to."_ He then reached down and picked to boy up, poking him on the nose which caused the boy to squirm. _"I promise, we'll play later, okay?"_

From his expression alone I knew that the young Pharaoh wasn't convinced at all, but nodded and watched as his father walked away with the guards. I looked on with a sunken heart as the boy stood there and stayed still, staring at the ground. His bangs covered his face so I was unable to see his expression, but from the way he remained as still as a statue worried me. I wanted to go up and comfort him, but I looked up when the door opened again. He did too, and it was then when I saw the tears that streamed down his face.

" _Mama…"_ he whimpered, and I watched as the woman walked towards him. She was elegant, and looking at her I could see where the young boy got his looks from. However, the eyes weren't the same. Hers were a light pink colour. Not blood red.

As she stepped closer to him, my eyes fell back to the boy, only to have my heart jump to my throat when I saw a thick cloud of black dust, or was it mist, moving together in random patterns across the sandy stones that made up the ground. The cloud was wrapping itself around the boy, circling his legs, and he remained oblivious to the shadow. I stared, unable to shout when the shadow-like thing in a blink of an eye, rose up and swallowed the boy, disappearing within him. And I stood there horror struck when the boy instantly stopped crying. His mother was also confused by this for she too stopped walked, and looked curiously at her son who bent down and picked up a rock, and threw it at her.

" _Go away!"_ he screamed, picking more up and flinging them. _"Go away! Go away!"_ he shrieked, and helpless and worried I watched as she tried to defend herself from the oncoming rocks, but also stepped closer to get to her son. _"I hate you! Go away!"_ he continued to yell, and angry tears ran down his cheeks.

" _Love, baby, what's wrong? What's happening? Please, stop,"_ she pleaded, and she just looked at him, allowing a rock to hit her cheek. In no time blood oozed out, and seeing this I watched as the sight of the blood caused the frantic boy to stop. He stilled, watching the blood with wide, teary eyes, and it didn't take long for the dark shadow to get catapulted out of his body. I say catapulted because the shadow was pushed far away from the boy, and lingering a bit longer, I watched as it ran away like a wounded dog.

" _Mama… Mama!"_ the boy shouted, and he ran towards her, wrapping his small arms around her legs. _"I'm sorry,"_ he sobbed, and she picked him up, wiping his tears.

" _It's okay. It's okay, love,"_ she soothed, patting his back. _"I love you. I won't ever leave you."_ And hearing the boy's hiccups and his mother's promises, it was then when everything became foggy.

Opening my eyes, I sat up on the bed and looked around the room, my heart pounding hard against my chest. A soft glow shone through the room, signalling that the sun was rising, and looking beside me I saw Grandpa sleeping soundly. Trying to be quiet and not make too much movement, I brushed my hair back and laid back down on the bed.

That dream… What did it mean? Was it part of what I had to do? Did it have something to do with the prophecy? Of course, maybe that was why I was having them. I had to save the Nameless Pharaoh, so they were giving me little bits and pieces about his life. Or, maybe I was having them because the ghost wasn't to scare me? Staring up at the ceiling, I mentally groaned. This was definitely getting even more frustrating as the days went on, and surely they would get worse if I don't do something. But what should I do? Staring at the ceiling as hundreds of thoughts swarmed around in my head, only one answer stood out from them all.

I'll have to go back.

* * *

 **Wowza! This is a long chapter. Thought it would have been the shortest, but, look! That's good then. Long chapters are good. So I hope you all liked it, and I hope that it wasn't too confusing. I must have re-read this many times because I was confused myself. I hope it's fine.**

 **Oh and, yes, I know the slab says that the Pharaoh wins the battle in the original series, but hey! This is my story and I will change whatever I want! xD**

 **Please review! And thanks for reading. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**-SQUEALS-**

 **Thank you! Oh my gosh, thank you all so, so much! I received a lot of reviews, huh?! It made me so happy. My heart was through the roof. I'm so glad to see that so many people are interested in this. I promise, I will try my best to make it even more exciting and keep your attention all the way to the end of this story. My sincere thanks to all of you. Only four –now five- chapters, and already so much love! Ahhh! Unbelievable! :D**

 **I have responded to all the reviews that I can, and trust me, words were taken into account and pondered on. I have made necessary changes, and I apologise for errors that I have missed. Please don't be afraid to point them out because they are truly appreciated. I hope you continue to stay interested.**

 **I have to apologise though for delaying this update. I had it all planned out and ready to type, telling some of you that I'll be updating in two days… Yeah, that didn't happen because even with the plans in front of me I hit a writer's block. Everything I wrote seemed like garbage and it was just awful. This chapter was so hard to write, so forgive me for the delay and for the way this chapter is written. ^^" Oh, and I'm also sorry if the facts in the story aren't so realistic and or true. I'm making my own changes and making stuff up just to suit the story and make my life easier. So sorry. Anyways, this author note is way too long already. Please read.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 5

* * *

"Gramps, I'm coming with you on the dig today."

I stared at Grandpa with leveled eyes, not breaking my calm posture as he looked up at me with mild surprise. His grey brows rose up into his hair while his purple eyes widened as he drank from his mug. I stood still, watching as he shifted in his seat at the wooden dining table before putting the mug down, the heavy glass making a 'thud' with the surface. He looked at me again, and put an arm to his leg to gaze at me intently.

"That's great!" he exclaimed suddenly, breaking out into a grin. I smiled in relief. I had honestly thought that he would have made me stay inside considering what happened yesterday, but wow, he appeared be glad. Though if I know my Grandpa correctly, a lot of questions would follow my decision.

"But, why did you decide to come with us all of a sudden? I thought you weren't ready to go back into the tomb yet?" he asked me, and as I took a seat at the table and began to dig into my eggs and toast, he got up to put his mug in the sink. "So does that mean you're staying?" he continued, and I heard water gushing out of the pipe and into the sink loudly.

I shrugged, staring at the ripped toast and pushing the eggs around in the plate with my fork. "I'm not quite sure about staying throughout the trip as yet…" I trailed off uncertainly. "If it seems that I'm going crazy, I might still leave." I gazed up at Grandpa after hearing him clear his throat and take a seat in the chair next to me.

"Why?" he asked evenly. "What changed your mind?"

"I just want to see the stone tablet for myself," I answered smoothly, trying to keep calm on the outside even though my insides were twisting into knots.

I knew that Grandpa would eventually ask me the reason for my change of mind, so I had planned my answer to every possible question last night. However, the answer I told just now wasn't a complete lie. I would love to see the tablet, but not any time soon. I had no intention of entering the tomb where I could easily be captured by that ghost. I was going there just to get my research done, and I can only do my little investigation when I had the right information. All that information was at the excavation site, so going there was a must.

This was the only way I could be able to find out what was going on, and what I could possibly do about this curse that seemed to have been laid on me. I had to be prepared, and one thing that I had understood from my high school business management lessons was to always be prepared and plan for the worst because anything can happen when you least expect it. If this ghost has to take me, I'm going to make sure that I know every single thing about the Nameless Pharaoh I could possibly learn. Hopefully my research would lead me to a loop hole to get out of it, but that was very unlikely.

Sipping the tea in the mug Grandpa had set down on the table next to my plate, I looked up to see that he had stood once more, his phone ringing loudly.

"One sec," Grandpa said, and he moved to the living room to answer the call.

Shaking my head in an attempt to wake myself up as I felt my eyes droop, I put my cup down and stirred the tea with the end of my fork slowly. All night I had stayed up, just pondering over everything that had happened to me in such a short amount of days. The ghost, the visions, the Pharaoh… I was getting nowhere with all of this. All I knew though was that they're all connected, and that connection has something to do with the Nameless Pharaoh. He was the source, but the reason was hard to figure out since I know practically nothing about him. And then there's me. Somehow I got dragged into all of this curse stuff. Man, Joey was right. I should have listened to him and stayed in Domino playing video games with him all summer instead of packing my bags and heading straight to Cairo. If I get out alive, he's going to laugh at me once I tell him about all of this.

Dropping me head down on the table with a bang, I allowed my eyes to fall shut from frustration, agitation, annoyance, and sleepiness with a hint of nervousness. This whole trip turned out to be "pure nonsense", as Grandpa would put anything that didn't make sense.

"Okay, c'mon Yugi. Time to head to the site." Hearing Grandpa speak had me looking up at him with surprise.

"I haven't even changed yet," I said, watching as he grabbed his jacket from over the chair. He shot me a look.

"Well then, just don't sit there. Hurry up!"

"Okay, okay," I said quickly, and getting up I dropped my dishes into the sink and ran to the bedroom to get ready. As I sifted through the suitcase for something to wear, I felt a drop of sweat slide down my back. I was scared, not going to deny it. But I can't stay inside and hide. Hiding would do no good. You can't say that the Boogeyman isn't in your closet until you open the doors and see for yourself. So, it was time for me to face my fear and put a lid on this curse once and for all.

* * *

Driving up to the excavation site, I squinted a bit as a sudden dry breeze blew by me before Grandpa could come to a stop. As soon as he did, we jumped out and grabbed our packs and made our way over to the crew who seemed to have not noticed that we had arrived. They were all gathered under the makeshift white tent, their eyes and lips moving over whatever it is that was on the table. From my guess it was probably their notes and plans.

"Hey everyone!" Grandpa called with a smile, dropping his bag on to the floor as we stepped into the tent. It was a tight squeeze for us all since equipment and such took up half of the large tent, but we all somehow crammed inside quite snugly.

"Solomon! You're just in time," Jonathan exclaimed, and he walked over to Grandpa with a rolled up paper. "Yugi, you came too! Glad to see that you're back in action," Jonathan said with a grin, and I smiled a little as he shook my hand.

"Hey, Yugi," Kevin said as he came up to me with that wide, friendly smile of his. "Happy to see you here."

I nodded. "Yeah, had to come back eventually," I replied with an awkward smile. His smile got bigger.

"You got that right."

"Solomon, great, there you are," Sabrina said, and I watched as she passed me and walked straight up to my Grandpa who looked at her. "You won't believe what I came across yesterday when you left," she said hurriedly.

"What is it?" Grandpa asked curiously, and he took the picture that Sabrina handed to him. For some reason everyone was watching as to what Grandpa's reaction would be, and I couldn't help but be curious myself.

"What is it, Gramps?" I asked, but Grandpa said nothing. He stared at the thing with huge fascination that now my mind was itching to know what it was.

"This, this is incredible," Grandpa finally said breathily, and I watched as he looked at Sabrina with a shocked expression. "Where did you find this?"

"We found it in the tomb, hidden on the back wall next to the door," Jonathan replied, staring at the image from over Grandpa's shoulder as well. "Don't know how we could have possibly missed it. It was covered, but c'mon, we searched the entire room and didn't see it until a few hours ago. It seems as if appeared like magic."

Tired of being left out of the loop, I walked over to Grandpa and peered over his shoulder. The image was quite dark, but I could clearly see some hieroglyphs scratched on to the wall messily.

" _The chains shall be broken by he who was chosen,"_ I read in my head, and I took a step back so that I was out of the way as other's came forward to take a look also.

"What does that mean?" Grandpa asked, looking around the room. "What chains is it talking about?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," a voice said, and we all looked up at the entrance of the tent to see that it was Professor Arthur had spoken. He walked in with a jug of water in his hand, his hair disheveled, no doubt from the wind that was blowing through the cavernous place.

"Yugi! Nice to see you here," Professor Arthur said, and he patted me on the back with a smile.

"We didn't have time to check around for more since it was getting dark," Sabrina began to explain, and all of our attention was turned back to her. "I was only able to take this picture. We plan on going back in to further look around."

Grandpa nodded and scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, we would have to do that. It's strange that we didn't spot it before though."

"Hey, I thought we were staying in today and making sense of the tablet and our other notes," Kevin exclaimed, and he marched up to Sabrina's side. "If we leave all this paperwork to pile up, we're going to be very screwed over when we have to find information when the time comes. It's all a complete mess. Nothing is organized or even filed properly."

Professor walked up to the black haired man and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Kevin. I'll be here. I'll help you sort through it all so stop fretting."

"I'll help too!" I said quickly, and Kevin looked at me with an elegantly raised eyebrow.

"You sure?" he asked, and I nodded. Like I said to myself before. I was not entering the tomb. Besides, by helping Kevin I'll be able to get a glimpse at all of their notes. Surely I'll be able to get some good information.

"Yugi, I thought you wanted to see the tablet," Grandpa asked, and I turned around to meet his concerned gaze. I smiled reassuringly.

"It's alright, Gramps. I can see it some other time."

He continued to look at me, but after a while of keeping that reassuring smile on my face, he gave in. "Okay, fine. I don't know when we'll be back so make sure you eat. You haven't had anything much to eat and I doubt you'll eat your lunch," Grandpa ranted, and I jumped slightly when Kevin dropped his arm over my shoulder to grin at Grandpa.

"Don't worry, Solomon! I'll take good care of your grandson," he said, and Grandpa looked at him with a disapproving frown.

"I'm sure you will. You might just help him eat his lunch too," Grandpa said, and Kevin face-dropped.

"C'mon Solomon! That's not nice, or a hundred percent true."

"Shut up, Kevin," Sabrina said coldly, and Kevin shot her a look. "We have work to do. There's no time for fooling around. Pick your bags and let's go you two," she ordered, looking at Grandpa and Jonathan. "The faster we get in, the faster we get out."

"She's a grouch," Kevin mumbled with a pout, and I hid a grin when Sabrina shot him a death glare. He promptly turned around and disappeared in the back where she wouldn't be able to see him.

"See ya," Jonathan said as he picked up his bag. "We'll be back soon."

"And don't go running off," Grandpa told me, and I nodded. With that, the three walked out of the tent and towards the tomb.

I watched from the entrance to see them stride over to the beginning of the labyrinth-like tomb, and then disappeared into the darkness with their hardhats on their heads. For some reason I felt a bit odd, watching the tomb. Something didn't feel right. I would also say that it felt as if someone was watching me from inside, but at this point I already knew who was looking my way.

"Yugi! Come over here," Professor Arthur called, and I turned around and went back into the tent to stare at the rectangular, white plastic table that was covered with papers and books. I gazed at it all, very unsure as to where I should even begin while Professor Arthur and Kevin seemed to know exactly what they were doing. Kevin sat with one leg up and slouched back in a chair on the left side of the table, and at the end I took a chair and sat down while Professor Arthur leaned lightly against the edge of the desk on the other side.

"Stone tablets like these tell some kind of story, right?" Kevin asked, looking up from the sheets of papers he was reading to glance over at the Professor. I watched as the elderly man nodded.

"They're used to capture some important parts of history. C'mon Kevin, you should know that by now," Professor Arthur scolded playfully, putting the papers into one of the files in front of him.

"I know, I know. I'm just thinking out loud here," Kevin replied quickly. "I'm just confirming that since the tablet was found in the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb, it means that it has some importance to his life. It talks about the war between his cousin, and it's clear that he was involved in this war because his image is carved on to it. So, now the question of reason comes up."

"We already have the Who, What, Where, and When," Professor Arthur continued. "We just have to figure out the Why, and the How. Why did the war take place? Why did Seth go to war with his cousin? And how did it took place because it's very evident from the slab alone that magic played a part."

"And that's a topic we're already aware about, you know," Kevin said, slamming the big book in front of him closed before sitting up properly in his chair to look at Professor Arthur who was reading through some more loose papers. "Seth went to war with this Nameless Pharaoh because he was an evil ruler who used his power to dry up his country for his selfish needs. Seth was righteous, so obviously he would want Egypt to prosper instead of watching it be destroyed by his cousin."

"Kevin, I told you already. We don't know that for sure," Professor Arthur told him, not removing his eyes from the papers. Kevin didn't seem to listen because he continued.

"There's evil written everywhere on this Pharaoh, Professor. Surely there is some truth to it."

"There might be some truth, but there's a chance that it could be wrong," Professor Arthur said calmly.

"Yeah, a very small chance," Kevin said before picking up a few papers, scanning through them, and putting them in different piles on the table.

"Yugi, what do you think?"

Startled, not expecting to be dragged into the argument, I looked up at Professor Arthur who had spoken to me. From the corner on my eye I could see Kevin staring at me too. Oh well, a debate was always healthy, and I did have something to say about the topic. Hopefully they'll agree because I am after all half their age. I had to prove that I deserved to be here, working with them.

"Well, there hasn't been a case like this before," I began slowly after taking a deep breath. "There have been Pharaoh's in the past that were strict with their rules. There were some that committed grave mistakes, and some that were so revolved around themselves and their beliefs that they changed the way their people lived. But, we've never heard of a Pharaoh that was pure evil and did things like slaughtering family members and drinking their bloods such as what Kevin had said to me." I paused to gather my thoughts, and when I looked up I saw Professor Arthur shooting Kevin a bothered look. I shook it off though and continued, not wanting my thoughts to disappear.

"Of course, harsh punishments were given out during those time, so I can believe the 'chopping off a person's arm' part. The Pharaoh's were considered a living God, so spilling water on the living, walking, breathing God was a huge crime." I stopped again to scratch my head, feeling butterflies die in my stomach. I could feel something churning in my gut, but I couldn't bring myself to pay attention to the nagging feeling. Something felt off. Although, it might just be me. Presentations and or just talking to important people made me want to run and hide, so that may be the reason for my uneasiness.

"This is a first, especially with a case that has the use of magic written all over its history. I think that there may be a possibility that it had something to do with this war. If this was a case in a different time period where magic wasn't present, I would have really considered the theory of the Nameless Pharaoh being an evil ruler and Seth wanting to protect Egypt. But magic is present, therefore its role and the way it was used should be taken into account first. We all know that magic, especially during that time when it was extremely powerful, was very dangerous and unmanageable, unlike magic today which is weak and rare, practically unheard of. It's considered non-existent by most since it died out a long time ago. So right now, I don't think we should point fingers yet. There's more to uncover and I think we should dig a bit deeper to find the whole truth."

As soon as I finished, I let out a deep breath. It felt as if I was holding my breath throughout my whole talk, and knowing me I must have spoken way too much. My hands were sweating, that's how scared and nervous I was even though I didn't feel it. Well, I hope I made sense.

"I'll be honest," Kevin said after a few seconds as soon as I was done. I looked up to glance at him and saw that he had a very thoughtful expression on his face. "I thought that I had it all figured out, but Yugi, it seems that you can think more thoroughly than I." He grinned. "That really got me changing my thoughts. I didn't think about the magic part…" he said with a little laugh, looking over at Professor Arthur who had taken a seat across of Kevin while I was speaking.

"I agree as well," the Professor said, looking over at Kevin before turning back to me. "Those were my thoughts exactly, and I couldn't have said it better than that."

I breathed out in relief, a smile gracing my lips once again.

"We don't have much facts to base all of this on, but we have no other choice," Kevin said next, standing up to get some water. "About magic, from what we uncovered from the slab, was that a person's Ka was actually a creature, a monster that the person could summon and use for battle. The Nameless Pharaoh's Ka seemed to be a magician, and then he was basically blessed greatly with the power of the Egyptian Gods." Kevin took a seat once more and I listened attentively. "If the Egyptian Gods blessed him with power like that, how could he be evil? And with all that power at his disposal…"

"How could he have possibly lost?" I ended of quietly. Kevin nodded in agreement enthusiastically, but I just dropped my gaze down to stare at the table.

" _He's waiting for you."_

" _He's been waiting so long…"_

" _It says that someone will come and save him."_

" _Save him from what?"_ I couldn't help but think, and I put a hand to my head and leaned on the table. He had the power of the Gods, he had a strong Ka, but he seemed to have only a dark legacy. From my dreams he had parents that loved him. He had such an innocent childhood, and he was also wise from a very young age. I saw it in him through my dream. So what happened? And then there's that deal with the dark energy that made him act violent. Could it have played some part?

Unable to think, I clenched my eyes tightly as I felt a dull throb in my brain once again. Yep. Another migraine. Just perfect. This Nameless Pharaoh's entire existence is just shrouded in so much darkness that I just didn't know what to make of it. Trying to make sense about it just made my head hurt, so how am I supposed to figure this all out? The more I knew the more questions I had.

"Hey Yugi, are you okay?"

I looked up to see Kevin shooting me a concerned gaze. Forcing a smile on my face, I nodded.

"Yeah, just a headache," I replied.

"I have some pills for that. Want one?" he asked, reaching into his bag.

"Sure."

While Kevin grabbed the pills, I stretched into my bag and pulled out my water bottle before turning back to Kevin who dropped the pills into my hand. "Thanks," I said quickly, and I popped the pills into my mouth and took a quick drink. Hopefully my head would stop feeling as if I was being hammered, and go back to normal as soon as possible.

"Guys! Come quick!"

Looking up at the entrance, we all stood and went up to Sabrina who came rushing in. Her eyes were wide with worry and fear, and she was clearly out of breath.

"What happened to you?!" Professor Arthur exclaimed, looking at her arm, and it was then when I noticed that it was bleeding. In fact, she was covered in dirt and scratches which littered her arms and legs.

"No time to explain much," she said hastily, shrugging off their questions. "The ceiling fell in. Solomon was injured quite badly!" she shouted, and it was then when something cracked in my head.

"What? Grandpa?!" I exclaimed worriedly, and she shook her head as she took gulps of water from the bottle Kevin handed to her. Giving it back to him, she took deep breaths as she spoke, hands on her waist.

"We managed to get him out from under the rocks, but he's still bleeding. He can't walk and I need you guys to help bring him out or he'll get infected. The medics are far out to get here as soon as possible, so we have to get him out ourselves."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Kevin shouted. "Let's go!" and I nodded, agreeing.

"Professor, you stay here and call the medic. We'll be back soon!" Sabrina said, and without hesitating I ran out of the tent with them and towards the entrance of the tomb. Grabbing a hardhat from the table by the door, I quickly put it on, forcing it on my head since I didn't have a hair tie on me as I ran inside.

As soon as I stepped into the tomb and past that first door, I froze, feeling that chill against my back. I gulped fearfully, knowing that I was walking in hot waters, but it couldn't be helped. Grandpa was hurt and that was all that mattered right now. Nothing else. Breaking out into a run once more, I followed Sabrina and Kevin through the twists and turns, my hands grazing against the walls as I ran while my head swarmed me with the thought of Grandpa being injured. Luckily though we reached quickly, and I looked at Grandpa who was trying to stand with the help of Jonathan. Eyeing his legs to spot the injury, I saw that his entire left leg was bloodied.

"Grandpa!" I cried, and I rushed to his side, grabbing his other arm and slinging it over my shoulder to balance him upright.

"Yugi!" he exclaimed with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

I looked at him with an angered expression, concern taking over most of it. "What do you mean what am I do here? You're injured! How can I stay outside and not be here?!"

He chuckled. "It's not that bad…"

"Like hell it isn't!" Jonathan exclaimed, he too frustrated by my grandfather's lack of concern for himself.

"The beams… they've gotten worse," Kevin noted, and I watched as he looked up at the support with a troubled gaze. "We aren't even done with the repairs yet. It's all falling apart faster than we can fix."

"Then we should get out of here!" Sabrina shouted, and Jonathan and I began to walk slowly at first before picking up the pace. Grandpa was unable to use his entire left leg, so it was up to me and Jonathan to practically carry him out. As we walked as fast as we could back outside, I watched as Sabrina led the way and Kevin scanning around the tunnel with an anxious look on his face.

"Argh, oh, that hurts…" Grandpa moaned, and I looked at him as he cried out. "Take it slow you two," he said, and Jonathan and I tried to keep his leg from grazing on the ground.

"Yugi, I think you're the one who's keeping him unbalanced. You're too short," Jonathan joked despite the importance of the situation, and I scowled at him. Sadly though I knew it was true. Jonathan was way too tall, plus he was stronger than me, plus there was no one else my height to take over. "Kevin, take Yugi's spot, will you?" and we paused for a slight bit as Kevin and I switched spots. I stepped back, and we all moved forward again.

"We're almost out, Solomon. Just hang in there," Kevin encouraged, and I watched worriedly as blood dripped off of Grandpa pant leg, staining the floor. It felt odd, watching the blood fall on to the old path. It made goosebumps crawl up my entire body, and I didn't like the sudden feel the place took on. It started to feel dark.

I felt the familiar chill once again, and I crossed my arms and bit my lip, forcing myself to stare straight ahead. I wasn't going to turn around no matter what. I just hoped now that I'll be able to get out of here without incident. I've walked right into the ghost's home, and easily he would be able to catch me. But maybe, just maybe he might not since I'm with the group. However, they wouldn't know if I'm taken since I'm behind them all. My heart pounded against my chest, my sweat turning cold as the new thought dawned on me. This wasn't good, but Grandpa needed my help.

Looking up as the tunnel began to lighten, I grinned when I saw the entrance just up ahead. It wasn't far now. I'll make it. However, my excitement was short lived when a crack ripped through the tunnel from above. We all slowed and stared around with horror as dust particles began to fall on us from overhead. I looked around frantically, only to have my eyes widen when I saw the entrance's post fall apart. It was going to collapse!

"Run!" Kevin screamed frantically as he too spotted it, and I watched as he gripped Grandpa's waist and arm tighter before he and Jonathan ran towards the entrance quickly.

"Yugi!" Grandpa called urgently, and I tried to keep up, watching as the support slowly fell apart.

"It's going to fall," Kevin exclaimed hysterically, and Sabrina stood outside since she got there first, ushering us over quickly with a fear-stricken face.

"Hurry up!" she called, and as soon as the words left her mouth, the front came down.

"Yugi! Come on!" Jonathan screamed, and I watched as they pushed through the falling debris.

"I'm right here," I called, holding Grandpa's shoulder, and as soon as they passed the door, I felt a hand grab my arm. I was yanked away from Grandpa, and it felt as if I was watching in slow motion as the three dodged the falling stones just in time for the ceiling to plummet to the ground, consuming the entire entrance while I was frozen in place, my eyes wide with fear. My heart banged against my chest loudly, my entire body turning freezing up as I stared at the stone and dirt covered wall in front of me, and heard the hauntingly familiar voice behind me, his grip tightening around my upper arm.

"You can't leave. He's waiting."

* * *

 **Tada! And that is how you make a cliff hanger! xD This is a super long chapter… I just kept adding and adding and that ending came out of nowhere. Man, I shouldn't have written this three-thirty in the morning. I'm terrified! Lol!**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think by leaving a lovely review, and I do apologise once again for this chapter. It just feels so weird. I don't hate it, but I just don't feel satisfied with it either. This chapter was so hard to write! Thankfully the next one would be easy, but hey! What do I know?! Okay, Author Notes are getting crazy long. Please tell me what you think and help me out if I missed something, which I probably did.**

 **Review~ and thanks for reading. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**So sorry for the super late update! I know, I've left this for a long while, and I know you have been waiting for it. Please, forgive me. This chapter was harder to write than I expected. I just couldn't find words to describe the whole scene in this chapter, so I spent way too much time thinking and planning. :P**

 **Anyways, thank you all so much for the reviews and patience. I seriously can't believe how popular this fic is getting. It's doing way better than I had first thought! :D As for the previous chapter, I read your reviews and understood that corrections and additions had to be made, but I haven't gotten around to making those adjustments yet. I will do so soon, hopefully by next chapter. Thank you i for your wonderful help. Once again, your constructive criticism is truly appreciated. Many thanks. :)**

 **So, on with the story!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 6

* * *

A fog of dust littered the air and gradually fell to the ground, clearing as it slowly dispersed and landed among the pile of bricks and stones that formed the huge barrier before me. Broken rock rolled down the mountain-like wall, only to eventually stop on the dirt covered darkened floor. My eyes however, they remained locked on the only exit I had to get out of this tomb which was now resealed with layers of rubble. Yet, this wasn't my only problem. With my body stiffened from terror, I closed my eyes slowly and clenched my teeth in a desperate attempt to stay calm as I felt the hand tighten around my upper arm. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck as I shook, too scared to move even a single muscle.

"He's waiting…" the man repeated again, and unable to stay still for a second later, I ripped myself away from him and ran towards the debris with a cry.

"Grandpa! Gr-Grandpa! Someone, help!" I screamed frantically, my voice cracking as I clawed at the wall, trying to dig myself out. My fingers scraped against the wall as I pulled out chunks of little, sharp rocks which only caused my fingers and palms to bleed. It was all fruitless, and when I realised this I quickly turned back around to stare at the ghost, whimpering helplessly. With a quickly beating heart that rose to my throat in just a few seconds, I swallowed it back down and pressed my back against the wreckage.

"St-Stay away from me," I stuttered fearfully, my eyes wide as I kept them locked on the ghostly figure donned in white before me. He didn't respond to my shouts. His eyes just stared directly into mine with the same blank and unreadable expression. At my words though, the only thing he did was begin to walk towards me, and seeing that I gasped in horror.

"Stay away!" I shouted again, and I dragged myself quickly along the wall and into the corner to stay as far away from him as possible. When I saw that he still didn't stop walking, I pressed myself even deeper into the corner as if it could hide me, and clenched my eyes shut and wrapped my arms around my body, keening in on myself. I had nowhere to go, no one to help me, and I was trapped in a five thousand year old tomb with a ghost. I was alone in this. As that thought sunk in, all my will power and courage immediately died and turned into nothing.

My nerves rose higher when I noticed that the spirit hadn't made any attempt to grab me. He was only a few metres apart from me, so surely he should have got me by now. Then… Deciding to take a look, I cried out in shock when I saw him just inches before me, but this time on the ground. He was dropped down to his right knee, his eyes half lidded as he looked towards the ground with a hand on his chest. I just stared, hands clenched tightly in fists as my heart continued to pound against my ribcage with just as much fear from before. I gulped deeply, not taking my fright filled eyes off of him as he spoke.

"Forgive me, child, for my behaviour, but I had to get you alone. I know that my tactics weren't the best, but I had to urgently speak with you."

"Wh-Who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking. "What do you want from me?" I shouted through my chattering teeth, and I put a hand to my forehead before putting it against my mouth to block the deep, quick breaths that I was taking from resonating throughout the tomb. I closed my eyes momentarily, fear and worry causing tears to build up inside my eyes no matter how hard I tried to keep them under control. This wasn't happening. This couldn't really be happening to me right now.

"My name is Shadi," I heard the man say through the alarm bells that rung in my mind. "I am the protector and guardian of all things precious, and to protect something valuable I had to come to you. You have to save a very precious soul from being destroyed. He's been waiting for you for a very long time."

"Who's been waiting?!" I shouted, snapping my eyes open to stare at him. "Who?! I just don't understand why you're following me. What am I supposed to do? Who am I supposed to save, and why me?!" I yelled, and once again he answered.

"You have to save the Nameless Pharaoh."

"Why should I do that, huh? He's evil. Why should I save him?!" I exclaimed hysterically, and I began to pace, arms still wrapped around my body as I sniffled.

"You don't mean that," Shadi said slowly, and I shot him a look but said nothing. "If you mean what you say, then you wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be after you, and I'm sure my Pharaoh wouldn't have waited so long for someone who thought so ill of him."

Tired of hearing him talk so calmly, I harshly rubbed my eyes, getting rid of any traces of tears before walking up to him. "How can I even do that?" I asked. "And why do I have to save him? Can't someone else do it?" Breathing heavily through my now clenched teeth, I watched as Shadi gave a tiny shake of his head, eyeing the ground before looking back up at me.

"The Pharaoh has been waiting for you for a good reason. He knows only you can save him. You have the power and the knowledge necessary to save him from his eternal fate. You won't understand now, but you should just come with me. You have to remember everything." With that said, my eyes widened when Shadi grabbed my arm once again, but this time he began to pull me down the tunnel.

"No!" I shouted, struggling. "Let go of me!"

"No," Shadi said, and I looked at the back of his head with disbelief. "I'm sorry, but this is your destiny and you cannot avoid it. If you don't do this now, he will run out of time. I cannot wait until you're ready any longer. He needs you, now."

"No!" I exclaimed as stern as possible, and I dug my heels into the ground as he pulled me along forcefully. My heels just made track marks in the ground, and seeing that it wasn't helping me at all, I looked around for something to stop him from taking me. There was nothing other than stone, and I screamed in my head. I tried to hold on to the creases in the wall with my other hand, but with my already damaged fingers that were beginning to sting and hurt, I was easily ripped away. I twisted and turned, pulling as hard as I could, but in the end he was too strong. I continued to struggle as much as possible though. I wasn't just going to allow him to take me.

I just couldn't understand why all of this was happening. He set this all up for me, that much was obvious now. He lured me into the tomb by injuring Grandpa so that he'll be able to take me with him. But to where? Nothing he explained made any sense to me. He said that I have to remember something. Remember what exactly? What do I know?! He spoke in riddles and wouldn't give me a straight answer about all of this, and then he says that the Nameless Pharaoh has been specially waiting for me!? How is that even possible, and why? I don't know anything of his past, and I hardly know what's going on in my present. How am I supposed to fix or save anyone or anything? I can't even save myself right now. I just can't do this. I'm not ready, nor do I want to be ready. But, but what choice do I have at this point? What can I do? Reasoning with this… guardian… was out of the question since he clearly didn't want to listen to me. So, so now what?!

Opening my mouth to yell at him to release me once more, I looked up to stare at the ghost only to freeze. He had dragged me into a room that I knew all too well and stopped walking, giving me just enough time to stare until my heart was content at the thing that stood before me. In front of me stood the stone tablet of the Pharaoh, and just like that my gaze was trapped. I felt Shadi tighten his hand around my arm, but still my eyes didn't turn away from the magnificent stone that Grandpa and the crew had discovered. It was better than what I had seen on TV. It was enormous, and truly a wonderful piece to be examined.

As my eyes eventually fell on the Pharaoh, my heart sank with dread since I knew that this was all happening to me because of him. He wants me here, and I just couldn't understand why. As the mixed emotions of anger, confusion and frustration surged within me, it was enough to cause me to look away to see Shadi briefly glancing at him as well. A thought then struck me and immediately I spun my head around towards the door to see if my theory was true. I scanned my eyes across the area that they had spoken about, but couldn't find the hieroglyphs Sabrina had saw and what she, Jonathan, and Grandpa had come down here to look at. I closed my eyes and let out a shuddery breath with a sad and disappointed smile forming on my face, knowing that I had fell for his trap.

It was all set up.

From inside my closed eyelids I began to feel heat and see a red glow underneath which signaled light. Noticing this I opened my eyes only to be drawn back to the slab which was now glowing a bright, golden colour, the exact same blinding glow that I had seen the first day I saw Shadi. The terror creeped into my system again as Shadi gripped my arm tightly and began to pull me towards the glowing slab. Panicking, I started to pull with all of my strength, but again, Shadi seemed to have inhuman strength.

"No! Stop! Stop! Let go of me. Please! Let me go," I yelled frantically as I pulled backwards, my fingers grazing the ground and my knees bending to touch the floor as I struggled. Shadi didn't listen to me, and probably irritated with my resistance he gave my arm one sudden and tiny jerk towards him which sent me falling to the ground where I was dragged towards the slab. I screamed and tried again to get away, but all I did was leave behind four long trails made by my fingers as he hauled my body across the floor. The light intensified as we got closer, and I began to feel extremely dizzy as the thought of going into the underworld consumed my mind. I took a last look up where I was blinded by the light by its closeness, and I clamped my eyes shut and stiffened my body as my arm along with the rest of my body disappeared through the wall of the slab. I felt a burning sensation, then, nothing.

A few seconds later, with one harsh tug, I was thrown to the dust covered ground, my arm falling to the floor next to my head when Shadi finally released it. As I laid on the floor, I shook, taking steady, deep breaths so that I wouldn't inhale too much of the musky scent and the smell of decay that I was promptly enveloped with as I faced the ground. Knowing that I couldn't stay down forever, with shaky limbs I forced myself to stand, pushing myself up with my arms until I was in a sitting position. Once I was there, I moved my head back and forth to get rid of the dizziness, and through half-lidded eyes I glanced around the room, only to come to a standstill. My eyes shot open, fear flowing through my body, and quickly I scurried to my feet and backed up into the wall behind me.

" _No, no, this is impossible,"_ I mentally screamed, breathing heavily as I looked around the small room. Shadi was gone, and I was now sure that the place he had brought me to, was anything but the world of the undead. The place he had thrown me into was a burial chamber, and the thought of whose chamber I was in was what had me extremely worried.

Wall paintings and hieroglyphs of spells adorned the sandy, stone covered walls where dust and insects eventually took over. The ground was the same, completely layered with dust that had piled up over the millenniums, and in the middle of the room sat the burial coffin. I gulped, my eyes locked on the sarcophagus that contained the mummy of possibly a certain someone. I pulled my gaze away from the stone casket as the thought suddenly became too much to swallow, and allowed my eyes to look around the rest of the chamber as I slowly stepped away from the wall. I took hesitant steps as I moved across the floor, the sound of my boots grazing across the sand reaching my ears with every movement.

Glancing down, it didn't take me long to spot four jars on the ground next to the sarcophagus. I saw Hapi, Duamutef, Imseti, and Qebehsenuef, the four sons on Horus who protected the organs of the deceased. Hapi was the baboon-headed god who held the lungs, Duamutef was the jackal-headed god who held the stomach, Imseti was the human-headed god who held the liver, and Qebehsenuef was the falcon-headed god who held the intestines. It was then when confusion replaced my fear, and my archaeologic instincts kicked in. This was the burial chamber. These jars weren't supposed to be in this room. They were supposed to be in the treasury! But, as I looked around, I realised that there were no other doors. Forget the treasury… There wasn't even a door to the antechamber or the annex, and from my knowledge of tombs of the Pharaoh's, those four rooms were always present. So, why not here?! And as for the size… this wasn't the size fit for a Pharaoh. King Tutankhamun's tomb was this size only because he died young, but still it held practically five thousand objects. This tomb barely had ten!

With sweaty hands, I started to make my way over to the sarcophagus. If this was truly the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb, then there had to be more things piled up in the room. It's possible that it could have been robbed, but when I looked around earlier, there was no way to get in without breaking the wall down. Shadi pulled me through the wall, or walls, and then disappeared without a word, so that was the only way I got in. That's why the thought of it getting robbed by tomb robbers when it was being created was ridiculous. But, what if this wasn't the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb? No, that couldn't be it. Shadi wouldn't have brought me here if it wasn't, right?

As soon as I stepped up to the burial coffin, from the corner of my eye I was finally able to spot three statues of the Egyptian Gods lined up against the wall, and just on the opposite end on the sarcophagus sat a book which no doubt had to be a copy of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. That was all that had been contained in the room. There were no furniture, food, nor any Ushabti. None. It was practically empty.

With trembling hands I touched the rectangular, stone cover of the coffin and dusted it off. On every sarcophagus had the name of the person inside, so to find out whose tomb this was, I had to read the name. I coughed as the dust flew up into the air around me, and I stepped back for a moment, fanning the air with my hands a bit before going back up to the coffin. The scent of decay flesh was even stronger now, but I clenched my teeth and pursed my lips together. I had to get to the bottom of this strange incident. Never before had I heard of a tomb so empty, especially one that's supposed to be for a Pharaoh.

Rubbing away the dust with my hands for a bit more, slowly the images came clear, but my eyes widened in shock when I saw that the name was completely scratched off of the stone. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes for a brief moment. So this was it. This was the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb. The one Grandpa and the others had been searching years for. The one who I had to supposedly save. It confirms it all too. This was his tomb. Why? Why?! Why was his tomb put together like this? Why was it so different?!

Frustrated, I looked at it again and brushed away the remaining dust to reveal the familiar symbol of the eye of Horus carved into the stone in the very same way that the doors of the tomb have been designed, with veins popping out all around it. I had to know more. As I looked to the side of the sarcophagus, simple pictures were all that lined the edge. I inspected the coffin further by walking around it once, and when I checked the other side, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw what was written. Scribbled messily in a black substance, similar to chalk, was English letters and words which told a prophecy, a saying of some sort. Or perhaps, a message.

 _As Ra rose during the day, a being threatened his existence as he sets. The serpent tried to swallow him up, tried to destroy him to cause chaos, and this went on for millennia's. But, one day Ra came down to earth and inhabited a human, and just like that this being tainted him. It destroyed him, and his life. It infected Ra, and now his soul is set to be devoured. When the time is up, the light will be lost, and chaos shall rule, contaminating everything that it touches._

"That's impossible," I murmured in shock and disbelief to myself as I got back to my upright position, slowly rubbing the tip of my fingers across the edge of the sarcophagus. The English language didn't exist back in that time, so how was it even possible that there was English writing on the sarcophagus?! And that handwriting… Who could have written it? No one could have broken into the tomb and wrote that there. And if someone did, why? Looking at my hands, I thought deeply, but my mind was so astounded by this discovery that I was unable to even think straight. The saying felt so familiar, and my gut was telling me that I knew what it meant, but yet, I didn't. I just couldn't remember. Why? Why was this happening?! Was this something that I had forgotten?

"Dammit," I hissed, and I slammed my fist down on the stone before me out of aggravation. This was the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb, and the more I found about him the more confused I got. There was just so much questions and so little answers that it has now become tiresome trying to find solutions to them.

Rubbing my face with the back of my arm, I stepped away from the tomb and looked all around the room. Now what? What was I supposed to do now? Why had Shadi brought me here and why did he disappear as soon as he did?! He forces me to places against my will, and now that he's got me he leaves me? I'd rather be with someone than no one at this moment. I had to get some answers, now.

"Shadi!?" I called loudly, my voice bouncing off the walls as I glanced back and forth across the room to see if he would pop out. "What should I do now?! Why did you bring me here?!" I yelled, and my heart hammered against my chest as my frustration level increased. Not receiving any response, I marched up to the sarcophagus again and stared at it with my hands resting on the edge, absolutely irritated. I was getting nowhere, and I sure wasn't going to get out any time soon. Possibly… never.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I looked towards the ground in defeat. This trip had been nothing but a rollercoaster ride, one after another. I had no idea if I was going to get out, no idea what will happen to me, and no idea what I should do right now. If only I had a sense of direction, any direction on what to do next, I would take it gladly. And at that, ever so slightly I felt a breeze against my neck. Since it was so familiar I immediately looked up to see if Shadi had heard me and had returned, but I was met with the dim room with no one in sight. I turned back to the sarcophagus, and just stared at the lid.

" _What if… I looked inside?"_ I thought, and I mulled over the thought intensely. Just when I had decided to just leave it alone and not scare myself even further, I felt the breeze against the back of my neck once again. Unwilling, even though some part of me wanted to, my hands moved to get a better grip on the edge, and gently I gave it a push. Of course, it didn't budge, but the fact that it didn't budge urged me to push harder. With all my strength I pushed the lid, and it started to move. Without looking inside I continued to push until it crashed to the ground with a loud bang, causing dust to rise up into the air and another horrid smell to consume the area.

I coughed again and covered my nose with my arm, and took a single glance into the casket where I gasped with shock. It wasn't the first time I was seeing a mummy, but it was the first time I was seeing a mummy like this. With both hands clamped over my mouth due to horror, I stared at the body which was now just bones with signs of dried blood layering the inside.

"Wh-What…?" I couldn't help but whisper out loud, and I stepped closer to the body to inspect it, but still kept a good distance away.

This body wasn't mummified properly at all. The old fashioned clothing was rotted and laid on top of the body, it too covered with blood. And wrapped around the body, were shackles. Chains. Heavy, thick chains, with a knife lodged in the now reduced to bones chest. I gulped deeply, the urge to vomit rising. This person, the Nameless Pharaoh was chained to his sarcophagus with a knife in his chest, his heart, and seemingly was buried in his sarcophagus just like that?! Was he still alive when they buried him? From the looks of it, only yes's ran through my mind. And the knife, it was lodged in his heart, the only organ that remained in the body because Ancient Egyptians believed it to hold the person's soul. Then why? Why stab it like that?

Without realising it at first, I reached up to wipe away the tear that had strolled down the side of my face as I stared at the body, a hand to my forehead in disbelief. This couldn't be real. None of this could be real. I had to be dreaming all of this. From all the crazy things that had been happening, this had to be the aftereffects of all that fear. The Pharaoh was really subjected to this? For what reason though? Was he so evil and vicious that a proper burial was too much time? Maybe that was why his tomb was empty, and the reason as to why there was blood. I thought they took death seriously. They would even give proper burials to animals… but this was a Pharaoh! A person! And, what about the magical amulets that protected the dead? Where were they?

Stepping closer so that I could have a better view into the sarcophagus, I looked to the side of the thick chains to spot a golden object hidden beneath the folds of the cloth. Hesitantly I reached out to touch it, and as soon as I made contact I picked it up and looked it over. The amulet was something that I had never seen before, and through my tear-filled eyes I gazed at the golden trinket with curiosity. It was circular with a triangle in the middle, the eye of Horus adorning the center of the triangle. Along the circular side were five pointers that hung loosely on the edge. I've never seen anything like this before. Usually Ankhs were found with the body, not something like this. I couldn't even figure out what it was and what exactly it was supposed to represent. It looked to be just a necklace of some sort. And strangely enough, it too felt very familiar to me.

As I continued to examine the object, I froze when I unexpectedly felt arms wrapping themselves around my stomach from behind. I felt a breeze, a breath, against my neck, and I was squeezed gently, a face like structure rubbing itself against the nape of my neck. I heard crying, and I was squeezed tightly once more.

"You came," a voice of a boy said, and I closed my eyes as rush of emotions surged through my system for unknown reasons. His voice… felt familiar. Clutching the necklace tightly, I tried to turn around to see who it was that had caused me to react such a way, when I was suddenly pushed. I was next to a wall so surely I would just smack right into it, but I was surprised when I felt nothing at all, and realised that I was just falling, falling down into the unknown with hazy, crimson eyes the last thing I saw before my vision was engulfed with darkness.

* * *

 **Oh holy crap… that was the hardest chapter to write in my entire life. This entire story is going to be difficult, and when I say that a chapter is going to be easy to write… Let's just say I gotta stop telling myself that! This chapter needed a lot of details, and I tried my best to capture the emotions. I really hope that there isn't too much repeating. I tried to fix as much of those as possible to keep the chapter flowing nicely while making it enjoyable to read. It was very difficult to capture Yugi's emotions properly, and that is what kept me delayed for so long. -sigh- I hope this chapter is fine, and that I'm worrying for no good reason.**

 **Constructive criticism is always welcomed.**

 **Review please! And thank you for reading. I will try my best to update as soon as possible. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**It seems that the more I update, the more reviews I get…**

 **OH MY GOSH! Thank you all so much! :D I cannot express how happy I am, so the only thing I could come up with to show my thanks was to update this again quickly. I know, a bit over a week… but I tried my hardest! ^^**

 **RESPONSE~**

 **i – Thank you so much for you reviews. Seriously, you give me such good pointers that I actually refused to touch this chapter until you told me what you thought of chapter six. When you finally did, (and it is okay that you replied late. Hope you had a good time on your vacation) I was so anxious! Anyways, I took your thoughts seriously, and made my changes. Chapter six was easy to fix and add to. I've done major changes when Yugi is in the Pharaoh's tomb. But for chapter five… heh. I'll get back to you on that. Anyways, thanks again. Your help is truly appreciated.**

 **If you all are interested in some history facts, you can re-read Yugi's scene in the Pharaoh's tomb again if you like. And remember, constructive criticism is forever welcomed when it comes to my fanfics.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 7

* * *

Landing on my chest, the wind was immediately knocked out of me as I fell straight on to a hard floor, the sharp pain not hesitating to begin running through my body like wildfire. I groaned, my aching arm moving to my stomach where I held it and painfully rolled over to my back. My eyes were squeezed shut, my face twisted with agony as I bit my lip and struggled to keep my groans in. Wheezes however escaped my mouth every now and then, and as the aches began to ease a little, I pushed myself up into a seating position. Clenching my teeth as more pain shot up my spine at that movement, I sat still for a short moment until it resided before blearily opening my eyes to look around. As soon as the bright dots that clouded my eyesight disappeared and I was able to start taking in my surroundings, my eyes snapped open at the first thing I saw with utter surprise.

Columns. Columns made out of limestone which was carved to create the bodies of Pharaoh's were lined up horizontally before me. As I gazed up at their faces, I couldn't help but gulp and suddenly feel small when compared to their unmoving, unblinking figure that towered before me. As I leaned back to get a good look at them, my hands went to the ground to keep myself upright. _"What is this place?"_ I mentally asked myself, and curious I looked behind me only to see more columns lined up, mirroring the ones in front of me.

My heart thumped against my chest, and sweating heavily I could feel the worry building up inside of me the more I gazed around my new surroundings. The ceiling was intricately designed with images of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, while the walls held similar, coloured images of people with food and other gifts in their arms. It seemed as if they were offering it to someone; someone important from the way they were kneeled down. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I began to picture an Ancient Egyptian temple. They were built, dedicated, and protected since it was considered the house of Gods. Much religious activity like worships and other sacred festivals in Egypt were held in the temples, and the Pharaoh's were the ones who had the duty of protecting the shrines. But from the looks of what seemed to be this temple, it was very old. Then again, of course it was old. It had been thousands of years since the temples have been used. The Ancient Egyptian religion died out eventually, and the temples were abandoned and limited once Egypt became a Roman province. The ones that remained back then was used for government reasons, and now today they're just used as tourist attractions. It's a pity really, but if they were used as tourist attractions, where was the people? Where was I?

I looked around from my seat on the sandy floor in hopes of finding more clues to this strange mystery. The room was rectangular in shape, the columns on the longer walls while the smaller walls held more images and hieroglyphics. On my left, in the middle of the small, square wall held an enormous door that led to more rooms, and as I turned my head to the right, I was forced to stare in wonder. It had no door, and because of this I was able to see what was beyond the temple. What I saw was nothing important since it was everywhere, but it troubled me because it was all that I saw for miles.

Sand. There was just sand for as far as my eyes could see.

"Where am I?" I murmured out loud, and refusing to sit any longer I got off of the floor and began to slowly move towards what seemed to be the entrance to the temple. I used the walls for support as I made my way over to the entry way, and when I did, it only brought me more reasons to be anxious. As I stood at the top of few steps that led up to the doorway, I looked around the outside of the temple to see just more sand. My face scrunched up into confusion and I was forced to put a hand to my forehead and use it as a shade from the sun so that I could look around better. Sure enough, there were no people, and not a single building or tent in sight. That was impossible though. The sun was up and it burned down on me without mercy, but still, it was day. The place should be packed with people. Yet, I was alone with nothing but sand. It seemed as if this temple was abandoned, which was also pure nonsense. This temple was huge. There was no way archaeologists could have missed it.

Unable to wrap my head around what was happening, I just stood there, watching the wind zip by and blow the sand into the air. I listened, only to hear absolute silence. I had no idea where I was, I had no idea how I even got here, and I was totally alone. Just what the heck was going on? One minute I was in the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb, in his burial chamber, and the next minute I felt someone hug me, speak, and then shove me down to this place. I closed my eyes wearily, only to quickly open them when crimson irises invaded my mind. The boy in the Pharaoh's tomb, the one who pushed me had eyes just like the Nameless Pharaoh. Was that him? Did the Nameless Pharaoh send me here? If so, why? Why does he want me here, and where do I go next?

Tired, I leaned my head against the wall and slid down to the floor. I sighed deeply, pulling my knees up and leaning my head on them while my arms went into the space between my thighs and my chest. Shadi disappeared. He thrusted me into a place where I shouldn't be, and then another spirit drove me here. I shook my head, not helping but to feel sorry for myself. It might seem easy enough for me to leave now since I was no longer trapped in the tomb, but for all I knew I would go out into the desert and just get lost. I had no idea where I was, or where I should go or do next. There may not even be any civilisation for miles! Lifting my head, I brushed my sweat soaked hair back and tucked it behind my ear. How I wish I had a hair tie at this moment… Nothing was going right.

Weary but feeling a little more relaxed, I glanced around the temple aimlessly, my eyes squinting into the darkness as the statues of the Pharaoh's just seemed to grow in size. They were starting to look a lot darker, and a lot more threatening the more I stayed. I was only here for half an hour so far and my nerves were already through the roof. I groaned internally, my situation beginning to seem hopeless as I realised that I couldn't even stay here. Why would I stay here? If I stayed, eventually I would die from lack of water, and food. I even had nothing on me to live off of. Now what? Wait until death struck?

Just as I dropped my head back to my knees to mope in silence, allowing the dread to build up inside of me, I saw a flash from the corner of my eyes. It was a little golden glint, and as soon as I looked up to the middle of the room where I had seen it, my heart got a bit lighter. I quickly got up to my feet and walked over to the spot where I had fallen, only to have my eyes widen when I saw a familiar object. It was the same round necklace with the five pointers on its side and the eye of Horus in the middle that I had found with the Nameless Pharaoh's body. It must have fell with me since I did have it my hands when I was pushed.

Kneeling down, I picked the necklace up and brushed off the grains of sand that had settled on it. I examined it closely, turning and twisting it around in hopes to see something, anything that could help me get out of here, but I found nothing. That wasn't the only thing I was looking at though. As I inspected the object, I realised that it was made out of pure gold. And what was even stranger was that it didn't have a single drop of blood on it even though the Pharaoh's sarcophagus was coated with blood.

To get a better view of the strange piece of jewelry, I walked over to the doorway of the temple again and stood underneath the ray of sunshine that shone down on the sanctuary. Looking closer now, I saw that the jewelry had absolutely no scratches on it. How could that be? My brows furrowed as I put two of my fingers through the eyehole where the rope of the necklace would go and just rested it on my palm. The pointers dangled at the sides, and I just sighed in defeat, not getting anything else out of the strange trinket.

As I stared at the necklace once again, I watched in astonishment when the necklace began to glow, and the right, top pointer suddenly rose up. As I stepped out more into the sunlight to see where it was pointing towards, the necklace glowed even brighter. I stared, completely baffled. I turned around to go back inside, only to have my excitement vanish and turn into confusion when it stopped glowing, the pointer falling back into line with the others. Taking a step backwards without looking away from the pointers, I watched with wonder as it glowed again, this time the left, top pointer rising up and pointing in the same direction the right one was pointing towards just a few seconds ago.

"Huh," I said to myself with a tiny smile, and just to experiment I stood where I was and turned the necklace around to stare with amazement as a different pointer rose up and pointed in the exact same direction. I stared at the place where they were pointing at, but I saw nothing except for sand. What were they pointing at? I didn't know, but so far it was the only one with a possibility of me getting out of here alive, even though it was a very tiny possibility. So, taking a deep breath, I took one last look at the temple and walked down the stairs. I was putting all of my faith into this necklace.

It was all or nothing now.

* * *

It's official. I was lost.

Exasperated, I coughed dryly, my arm moving to cover my face as another gush of wind blew past me, causing the sand to fly once again. As soon as the wind was gone, for now, I opened my eyes and looked up to squint into the distance. There was still just myself and the sand, and by now I've been walking for what seemed to be forever when in actuality it was probably just under an hour. My throat was absolutely parched, and my mouth was as dry as it could be. I needed something to drink, but there was nothing for me to have. I just moved slower in hopes of saving my energy, my foot dragging in the sand that endlessly surrounded me.

I glanced at the pointer with frustration only to see it still pointing in the direction I was heading in for all this time. I was following it, but so far I didn't find a single person, or anything as a matter of fact. The temple was now long gone, and regret was piling high in my head. The more I walked the more I wished I had stayed back at the temple because there I atleast had shelter. This was a stupid move, and I could possibly die right here. If I was sent to the temple I should have just waited there because mother always told me that when you're lost, stay in one place until someone finds you! Dammit. Why is it that I remember these life lessons when it's already too late?

Scowling to myself, I stopped walking and took a few breaths, allowing my eyes to wander aimlessly across the desert. I just had no more will left to continue, but I had to have faith that I can get out of this strange occurrence alive. Sure, Shadi left me and I was sent to the middle of nowhere… it was alright. He would come back for me. Whether I liked it or not, Shadi was going to find me and take me and force me to do whatever he wanted because he needed me to "save the Pharaoh". It's apparently my destiny, so if I die I won't be fulfilling my destiny. Right? Then again, for all I know I'm already dead and this is all just a hallucination.

Holding my sides as another wave of exhaustion slammed into me, I breathed in and out slowly, my teeth clenching together. I shook my head, feeling the sweat that soaked my skin. "Great, now I'm talking to myself," I said out loud, and I stood upright again to take my jacket off. Holding it in the crook of my arms, I wiped my face and took another look at the necklace. The pointer was still upright, looking absolutely sure of where it was going, but I just sighed, pushing my sodden hair out of my face. I needed water soon or else I'll just collapse. I stood still, trying to calm my pounding heartbeat. I just listened to the soft whistle the wind made when it blew by until I could almost hear the blood pounding through my head. I inhaled deeply, and from the corner of my mind I felt a small breeze as I heard rushing water splashing against its bank.

Rushing water?!

My eyes snapped open and I immediately looked up and eyed all around. Now that I caught a whiff of it, the sound was actually louder than I had first thought. I listened closely to hear what direction it was coming from, and as soon as I figured out which way the sound may be, I began to walk, ignoring the pointer as it pointed in the other direction while I went to the left, in the opposite direction. It didn't take long for the sound of water to get louder and louder as each minute passed. There was no doubt about it now. Surely there was water not too far now.

As I walked across the sand, I eventually slowed and came to a stop as soon as I came to a hill, and in awe and joy I gazed down at the Nile River that ran from one end to the other. I grinned broadly, and from the little power walk I had done I bent over and held my knees to catch my breath, refusing to take my eyes off of the river to make sure that my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. However, my mind wasn't fooling me and the infamous Nile that defied the minds of scientists was running northward towards the Mediterranean Sea before me. A very unusual route for a river to take, but was considered fortunate by the people of Egypt, and right now, very fortunate for me.

Once I caught my breath, I looked down the hill to see that it wasn't too steep for me to go down. After that was determined, I carefully ran down, keeping my balance as the sand raced to the bottom as I sped up. Eventually I was stepping on rock since the sand thinned out, and before long I was brushing up against little bushes and small trees the lower I got. I mentally cheered, glad to finally see some vegetation instead of sand.

I got to the bottom only to stop and stare out at the water with my left hand up against my forehead to create some shade from the sum. The water was a wonderful blue colour, and lining the edges were grey rocks of all shapes and sizes. It was beautiful, very heartwarming, and I closed my eyes with a big, happy sigh as a warm, cool breeze blew by me instead of hot breeze. Opening my eyes once again I looked at the water, and without thinking twice I dropped my jacket to the ground along with the necklace and walked up to the bank. Crouching down I picked the water up and used my hands to drink a bit. Once I had my fill, I used the water to wipe my face and arms, trying to wash as much of my hair as possible. It was still kind of sticky from my sweat, and was beginning to smell awful against my skin, so a wash was necessary for me to continue this hellish journey. In fact, why should I continue? What was wrong with here? There was water for me to drink, and surely people would come here as well. I'll be alright.

Standing, I stepped back just in time to see a fish swim by and head back deep in the water, only to see the shadow of a large animal swoop in and eat the fish. Startled by that horrific scene and realising just what that creature was, reality and my brain returned and crashed into me like a bag of potatoes. It was then did I understand how lucky I was to be alive. This was the Nile River! It was extremely dangerous. There were ten different, venomous snakes slithering all around on the land, and I was literally just near the water where even more dangers lived. A twenty to thirty foot long crocodile could have swooped up and ate me, or one could have been walking on the land and easily attacked me. They preyed on humans, and frankly I made myself an easy bait, one just screaming to be killed. And that's only half of the dangers that the Nile held. There were also Hippopotamuses, and insects, and it just dawned on me that drinking the water from the Nile may have not been such a good idea.

Suddenly fearing for my life, I walked back to my jacket and picked it up along with the necklace. It was still glowing, pointing back up to where I was before I found the Nile. I sighed, and didn't hesitate to begin climbing. It was a bit of a struggle, but in the end I was safer up here than down below where I could be mauled. There wasn't much shade, but I would have to deal with it. I flopped down on my jacket that I had laid on the sand. Here I can regain all my lost energy, and feel the cool breeze without half the dangers. With hands on my lap I watched as birds flew about, and I calmly looked at the river, listening to the waves. It was so serene that I didn't want to move a single muscle, but I knew that I would have to continue walking sooner or later.

As I looked out to the water as a bird flapped about for a bit before swooping back into the sky, I smiled a bit at how different this area was from the rest of the land. The desert was barren and hot, while the Nile flourished with plants and animals of all kinds. Of course. It is considered the birthplace of all life here in Egypt. With the Nile, Ancient Egyptians were able to build their homes, they were able to farm and live. Without it running through this land the Egyptians couldn't have possibly survived. And, according to the Ancient Egyptians, the reason as to why the Nile was full of fertility was because of a very popular tale concerning their god, Osiris.

The story goes that Osiris was betrayed and murdered by his brother, Set. Set was deeply jealous of Osiris, so he tricked Osiris by allowing him to lay down in a very glamourous sarcophagus, promising that he was going to give it to the person who could fit inside. But, as soon as Osiris was laid down, Set shut the lid and threw Osiris into the Nile, killing him. Osiris's wife, Isis went in search for her husband's body to give him a proper burial, and unable to find it she asked some children who were playing by the Nile. They knew where he was, and they showed her where the coffin had eventually washed up. She found the sarcophagus in a tree at Byblos, and took his body back to Egypt. However, Set knew Isis was looking for Osiris, so before she could find him, Set found him and chopped his body into bits and scattered them all over Egypt. Again, Isis went out and found the remains and gave them a proper burial, a reason as to why there are so many tombs of Osiris throughout Egypt. Unfortunately, Isis was unable to find his genitals which were thrown into the Nile by Set and eaten by a crocodile, and this was why crocodiles were connected to the god of fertility, Sobek. And, since Osiris was still missing a part, he was unable to move on and became the Lord of the Afterlife. As for Set, Osiris's son, Horus, avenged his father's death by defeating Set. It was a great story, one that I am still quite entertained by. It was this story that began the idea that children were a gift, a prophecy because they knew something that Isis did not know.

I sat there for a few more moments, just enjoying the peace and quiet for a while longer only to be suddenly tugged harshly. My eyes fell to the necklace that was in my hands, and I watched with wonder as the necklace vibrated and glowed intensely. Pointers went up and I watched as it began to move, turning from one side to the next as if following something that was behind me. I stared at it, unsure of the reason as to why it was acting up like that, when I then heard it. I could hear something other than the waves. It didn't take too long for me to figure out what the sound was, and as soon as I did my eyes snapped open. Turning around I looked on as a couple of horses galloped away into the distance with their riders donned in a white robe which flapped in the wind. I would never be able to catch up to them, and nor would the people hear me if I shouted for them to stop, but atleast now I knew that there were people around here somewhere. As the sound disappeared I looked back at the necklace, only to see that it dimmed and stopped vibrating, returning to its former direction as if nothing had happened.

I got to my feet hurriedly and brushed my pants off, and taking a last look back into the distance I grabbed my jacket and shook the sand off roughly. I gazed at the miles of sand with more confidence before casting a look back at the Nile down below. I didn't want to lose track of the Nile, just in case the necklace and my theory was wrong, so maybe I could just stick close so that I know where it is, yet still figure out where the necklace was pulling me. Apparently the necklace did know where it was going, so now I had to find those people and get some help.

I began to walk towards wherever the object was directing me while still keeping track of where the river was. In the end I noticed that the necklace was somewhat following the river, so I was glad that keeping track of the Nile would be a bit easier. Eventually though I strayed farther and farther away from the Nile, but now I knew which direction it was in. I walked off into the sands until I couldn't see the river anymore except for a little speck in the distance, and I took another look at the necklace. It was glowing even brighter, vibrating slightly. I walked up a bit more for another few minutes only to begin running when I spotted the top of a building in the distance. But as I got closer I was forced to stop once I came to the edge of a pretty steep cliff that was way too high up to slide down. I would have to find another way around it. After looking at the cliff and thinking about how I should get down, I looked up to see what laid before be, only to have my mouth fall open from shock.

Before me stood a village. Not a city at all, but a village. It looked like an ancient town, and as I squinted to have a better view of the place, I saw people, and that calmed my heart a bit. However, the thing that I was unable to ignore for any longer shone and glinted, so I had no choice but to let my eyes fall on the huge, golden-like structure that stood up ahead, seemingly watching down on the village. It was the same building that I had spotted. Dread and fear began to build up inside of me as I stared at it with a dumbfounded expression, and I could slowly feel my heart moving up to my throat. This was crazy. Just impossible. There was no way that the building could be real because they existed thousands of years ago. It was supposed to be buried under layers of sand, and the only way I should be seeing it is in a movie about Ancient Egypt and through whatever archaeologists were able to unearth. Not in real life. Not in the present day. Then why? Why was I seeing this here?

Why was I seeing a golden painted, Egyptian palace?!

* * *

 **And there we have it! The end of the chapter. To be honest, there was actually so much more that had to get added to this chapter, (Yugi going into the village and all) but I decided against it and just leaving it for the next chapter. I'm going to take this slow, keep you guys hanging. xD But as for this chapter, oh my… so much details. It's difficult, trying to find different ways to explain things and trying not to be repetitive. I spent a lot of time looking at each word, every paragraph, making sure that if I have to say a word again that it's far apart. –Sigh– I hope it's good. And as for descriptions, hehe, Google was a big help and Wikipedia is awesome for finding quick, basic info on Ancient Egypt. Hope it suffices. I hate research, but I'm trying my best. :D**

 **I'll try my best to update again as soon as possible. Writing these chapters take a lot of time, and I really don't want to rush it just for the sake up updating quickly. I do hope you understand. I want to make sure everything is perfected to the best of my abilities for you all to enjoy, and from the looks of it, my hard work is paying off.**

 **So, thank you all for reading and being patient. Please review. And until next time… Bye~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone. Yes, finally, I updated. I am so sorry keeping you waiting for so long, and for making you think that I have abandoned this story. Also, I know I said I would hopefully update by the end of the weekend, but didn't. I'm sorry. I was sick, (still am) and then school started, and then I was super tired because I was out for an entire week trying to get my life back together… My world was too chaotic for fanfiction. Deep apologies for making you all wait so long. But, I am back and I'll try to update again as soon as I can. Hopefully you won't have to wait for almost a month again.**

 **Anyways, please enjoy the story, and thank you all so, so much for all the love and support you've been giving me. I really, truly appreciate it. :)**

 **RESPONSE~**

 **i - Thank you once again. I fixed up chapter seven to the best of my ability, so I hope it is better. I will try to keep the "search and find" thing in my head as the story goes on because it does make a lot of sense and I want this fanfic to be as enjoyable as possible. I do want us all to explore Ancient Egypt with Yugi, and I agree that there should be a balance with fiction and non-fiction. :) As for chapter five, haven't touched that much yet. Will let you know when I finish re-editing it. But, thank you so much for all your help. Once again, it is really appreciated and your suggestions are taken into account.**

 **Enjoy everyone!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 8

* * *

With my eyes locked on the village, I half ran and half jogged along the edge of the sandy cliff to find a lower or less steep hill to slide down to get to the bottom. I needed to see this village up close because I just couldn't believe my eyes. It was so unbelievable to even begin to make sense of. Was I truly sent back in time? My stomach did flops as my eyes went back to the huge palace the loomed over the town, and each time I looked at it the more scared yet excited I got as it confirmed what I was seeing. There was a golden-like palace right before my eyes! There was an ancient Egyptian village just a short distance away! Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I could have a chance to see how these people lived. Never. Yet, possibly, here I was.

Using the back of my hand I wiped away the bead of sweat that rolled down the side of my forehead, and smiled triumphantly when I finally spotted a less threatening cliff to go down. To find it did take me quite a while, and it did take me a bit farther from the village, but it was the only way to get off the cliff without injuring myself. Tucking the necklace away into the inside of my jacket and holding it tightly, I jumped down and skidded down the sandy hill towards the bottom. The hot sand pierced my skin as I suddenly lost my balance and stumbled, falling and then sliding the rest of the way down on my side since I miscalculated how steep the hill was. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and I landed at the bottom with just a few scratches here and there. With sand now coating my body, I stood up and brushed my pants and t-shirt off before looking up to squint into the distance to see the palace standing tall, the scorching sun burning down on everything.

I let out a dry cough as dust floated around me from my fall, and without waiting a second longer I picked up my jacket from the ground and began to make my way back to the village. I had some idea as to what I would expect once I got there, but I couldn't be sure. Now that I was here, this could possibly be a make or break of all the facts and discoveries archaeologists had found throughout the years. We learned how they lived through the murals they left behind which could be found in many tombs. We were able to read hieroglyphics, their now dead language. We've seen their furniture, their books, we've translated all that we could find. We uncovered their homes, palaces, temples, explored the tombs, seen the pyramids… We knew and saw so much, but there could and is so much more that we do not know or haven't seen before.

The Nameless Pharaoh's tomb that I had discovered –after Shadi pulled me in- was a perfect example and one huge mystery that proves that there is much we as archeologists still aren't aware of. We've seen many tombs that were all pretty similar structures, made with a similar layout underneath, guarding the deceased person's treasures. But it was only the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb that was different. What made it different? Another mysterious question would be the one concerning why magic was so abundant during his time when there were hardly any traces of it during King Tutankhamun's time, Khufu's time, Cleopatra's time, Khafre, and so forth. Just when we thought we found and seen it all, I manage to come across this.

Closing my eyes as I began to hear shouts from the village as I got closer, I sighed deeply before reopening them again. Grandpa and the others were searching the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb for a very long time, and I, I was just a newbie that was given this opportunity to see his tomb. Why? And then there's the deal with the curse, the prophecy, the spirits and the ghosts and the blood… It was all so different. I don't know how to handle this kind of situation. I've never studied what I should do when I come across these kind of stuff. So how could I possibly go into this village and expect to see the things we know, or think we know with such little knowledge although it may seem like a vast amount?

I slowed as I got to the edge of the village, and not wanting to allow anyone to see me yet, I hid behind a house. As soon as my hand made contact, I hissed and pulled back since it felt as if it was burning into my flesh. The sun was even hotter than I thought, and from feeling the surface alone, I could tell that it was made from mud that had dried for a very long time before being used to build this person's home. Although, I already knew that. Egyptians built their homes using mud which would be laid into bricks. They would leave it in the sun to dry, and once it was hard, they piled and stacked it to create their home. More mud is used to stack them together, and once everything was sun-dried, it was absolutely sturdy. Even the Egyptian palaces were created using mud because it was just easy to use and easy to find since the Nile runs so close by. The only difference was that the palace was bigger, grander, and created more extravagantly than the one storey homes in the village. Colours, wood, and valuable stones were even used to create the golden-like palace. Everyone was the same, only, the palace kicked it up a couple hundred notch.

Pulling my gaze away from the building that I was inspecting but ultimately hiding behind, I peeked out and took a long look at the sight in front of me. Villagers bustled about, moving from the stall to stall and shouting things that I couldn't make sense of with all the noise. Men and women all alike stood at their stalls selling what seemed to be fruits, bread, and barley, along with traces of wheat and fish. There was even pork and lamb available for people to buy. I watched with an interested smile as cattle was ushered down the street by a group of boys, and as I looked up my eyes began to follow one man who was pulling a donkey down the small, dusty road which was split up into smaller, thinner tracks that would no doubt lead a person even deeper into the village.

From everything that I've been observing so far, I could tell that we had gotten a little bit of the Egyptian life correct, especially the fact about how the Egyptian's cared a lot about how they adorned themselves. Even if they were poor and couldn't afford the fancy gold and silver things, their jewellery was still magnificent. Beads made from coloured pottery were used to create necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets which all ornamented women's neck, arms, and ears. It added a lot of colour to their simple, pleated, sheath dresses which were called _kalasiris._ These dresses were held up with one or two straps and worn all the way down to their ankles, grazing against their leather sandaled, but usually bare, feet. The men on the other hand wore a _shendyt_ , a wrap-around skirt which was belted at their waist, and it was sometimes pleated at the front. The shendyt's used to be short up until around 1600 B.C., if I remember clearly, until it was worn longer. However, from the looks of how these men were dressed though seemed to show that the time period that I was in was somewhere around 1420 B.C. because some men were wearing tunics _and_ long shendyts. Either way, one thing still remained throughout the years. Their makeup. Kohl around their eyes and colour mixed with animal fat around their lips, for the women. And now that I was thinking about their cosmetics, I could faintly smell the scent of henna leaves which were used like nail polish here in Egypt. Unlike nail polish though, henna stains the nail with a quite pretty orange colour. It fades a bit, but doesn't come off until your nails grow out and you cut them. Don't ask me how I know that though. The memory of Tea trying henna out for the first time and splattering it on Joey, Tristan and I was not something I wanted to return to. It took weeks for it to get off our arms and face.

I allowed a grin to break out on to my features when I noticed a group of kids run by, chasing each other with laughs and smiles, all covered in dirt. No matter the time period, boys would always be quite wild with their games. Just like any kind of sport, they would split up into teams, just trying as hard as they can to win and defeat each other. When it comes to games and Ancient Egypt, I could call myself an expert, but I had no time to ponder on that when I finally noticed the sky turning darker, and the shadows growing longer. It was a sure sign that night was approaching, and the people in the village seemed to have noticed this as well because women were beginning to gather their children and making them help to clean up, packing away the things that their husbands and fathers had farmed. One by one they were starting to trickle back into their homes, and my smile was wiped away when I noticed that built men, no doubt guards from the way they held sharp spears in their hands, come out and take formation at the end of streets. I stepped back cautiously and looked up into the sky anxiously, holding the wall of the side of the house as I began to think about the new problem I had to now deal with.

Worrying, I took another look at the sun when an orange haze enveloped the village. What should I do though? I can't stay the night outside. It's cold, dark, and most importantly it was the time when tomb robbers and thieves came out to do their dirty work. My heart thumped in my chest as I took another look around to see that almost everyone was gone. I couldn't possibly go up and ask someone to stay a night at their place. I can't speak their language, I hardly know them. And for one, I'm a complete stranger. I was a foreigner, and in Egypt, foreigners from other countries weren't accepted warmly so easily. I couldn't even blend in because I had pale skin, and clothes that would look otherworldly to them.

Back then, foreigners were exploited and just used to be dominated by the Pharaoh's and the higher ups. Of course, they weren't killed. They were just humiliated greatly so that the wealthy could prove their power over them. This continued on until the Middle Kingdom where foreigners were finally seen in a better light. They had status and was accepted into the community unlike the many before who had to struggle greatly to gain their respect. Sure, Egypt had ties with other countries like Nubia, Syria, Ancient Greece, but that wasn't until really later. And now, I'm still not sure as to whether or not I was safe to be seen. I may be in 1420 B.C., but I just couldn't remember during what time Egypt became better with outsiders. I clenched my fists, frustrated with myself. Now my little knowledge and small amount of experience was starting to show itself: my lack of ability to get the years to correspond with my other knowledge. It may seem as if it was the first few things I should have learned, but it was something I struggled with greatly. As for now though, I would have to be very careful. If I was spotted and I wasn't in the "good" times, I could be captured instantly.

Gazing around, desperately trying to find somewhere to stay even though it was clear to me that it would be impossible, I took a look behind me only to stare with surprise. Riding up towards the village were three familiar looking men, on horseback, coming straight towards me. With my heart dropping down to my stomach and my chest pounding fiercely, I ducked down behind a stack of clay pots that were stored in a corner and just froze from fear. I clenched my teeth and stared at the men with wide eyes as they entered the village. They were the same people I had seen race by when I was at the Nile, and now that I could see them better, they looked to be nobles. One of them looked like a priest actually from the way he was dressed. All were wearing fine linen with gold jewellery decorating their arms, hands, neck, legs and ears. I was unable to have a better look at their faces since they stopped once they entered the village, turned away from me. The important looking one with a blue coloured cloth on the front of his tunic, his headdress matching the blue of his tunic with what seems to be a gold emblem at the top. He was turned to face the other two, blocking their faces from sight as well.

Slowly I stood up and leaned a bit closer to get a better look at them, all the while trying to stay as calm as possible. One wrong move and I could be dead. Their horses shuffled from one foot to another, and I watched as they gained control of their steed with ease. They seemed to be conversing with each other, and I could sense that it was serious. I could feel tension radiating off of them all, but they were too far away for me to hear what they were saying to figure out what they were so worked up about. But even if I could hear what was coming out of their mouths, I doubt I would be able to understand a word of it. So, I just watched quietly and composed, until the one in the blue pulled out a familiar looking object to show to the other two, immediately causing all the blood in my body to turn to ice.

A whimper managed to escape my lips, and in just mere seconds I frantically searched the pockets of my jacket, only to see nothing. It was gone. The circular necklace with the five pointers I had was gone. It must have fell out during my tumble and I picked up my jacket and left without rechecking the pockets. They must have found it.

I stared at them as they inspected the object carefully, and trembling from worry and dread, wondering what was going to happen to me when or if they traced it back to me, I wasn't watching where I was going. I was snapped out of my trance when I knocked into the stack of pots in front of me, and just like that they crashed to the ground, shattering. Both of my hands went to my mouth from shock, and I just took one look up to see four pairs of eyes staring at me. One boy stood before me, pointing an accusing finger directly into my face, and daring to take a quick look at the man on the horse, my purple irises locked with the deepest colour of blue I had ever seen.

"Thief!" the boy shouted, and that was what got my brain going again. Not waiting for anyone else to react, I broke out into a run.

I forced my legs to go as fast as they could, and with the only close destination I knew in mind, I headed straight for the Nile. I took one glance behind me when I heard the sound of horses, and I inhaled sharply to see that they had begun to chase after me, all three of them. I pushed myself harder and in no time I reached the slope. I dashed up as fast as I could, using my hands to grip into the sand to pull myself up faster while digging the heels of my boots into the ground when I heard them get closer. From the back of my mind I heard someone shout, but with the way my blood was pounding through my skull, I didn't slow down a single bit. Hastily I scurried up and took off running yet again as soon as I got to the top. Since they were on horseback, surely it would be a bit more difficult for them to get up. However, I wasn't going to underestimate their abilities. I tried to go as fast as I could, and just like I had predicted, it didn't take them long to get up. I was just in time though because as soon as they started galloping towards me again, I stumbled my way down the side of a hill that led down to the riverbank of the Nile. I kept on turning back every few seconds to see if they were following me, and as I turned around when I ran down, I was unable to see where I was going, so it didn't take long for me to crash into something, or someone.

With a shout and shriek of surprise, I rolled down the side of the hill and I could feel the weight of someone on top of me, tumbling down with me. As soon as I hit the bottom, adrenaline took over once more and I slipped away from whoever fell with me. I took one quick look up at the top of the hill. My eyes shot open and instantly I swerved into the nearest bush to hide myself. With shallow breaths I watched from between the leaves as the man with blue eyes scanned the river. Luckily though I was quite a distance away, and probably well hidden, so a while later I viewed him with a held breath, cold sweat racing down my back as he turned around and sped away. I waited another moment just to make sure that they were truly gone, and as soon as I felt safe enough, I crawled out of the bush and flopped down on the sand, relieved, only to suddenly remember something that forced me to sit up rapidly and look around. Immediately my gaze fell on a girl.

She was sitting on her knees a short distance away from me and was rubbing her arms and wrist, inspecting herself with a small, irritated frown on her lips. She took no notice of me yet so I just sat still, unsure of what to do. It was my fault she was hurt after all, and no matter how important it was for me to get away, I couldn't bring myself to just leave her. Her brown hair was dishevelled, her short, pleated dress was a bit torn at the sides, and there was even a small scratch at her temple. To make it even worse, she seemed to be a scribe, or a noble of some sort due to the amount of gold she had on her wrists, dress, and around her neck. I gulped nervously, only to be startled when she shouted, not looking at me.

"My Prince! Why can't you watch where you're going? Ow, ow, that hurts," the girl mumbled as she touched her arm, but I on the other hand sat there, frozen and shocked out of my mind. Did I just, understand her?

"Priest Set had been looking for you all over! You are going to be in so much trouble. Your father has the entire palace upside down searching for you. Where have you been all day?" she yelled, and it was then when she looked up to stare at me. He olive green eyes went wide, and she too froze.

"You're, not, the Prince…" she said slowly, and somehow I managed to shake my head numbly. I could understand what she was saying?! How? How is that even possible?!

"Oh my, I am so sorry!" she said quickly, and in just a second she was up at her feet, taking quick steps back until she was a safe distance away. Not wanting to be the only one on the ground, I too stood up.

"I'm sorry," I said without thinking, and she just looked at me. "I… I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and…" I stopped, swallowing the rest of my words.

More awkward silence brewed between us as she just stood there, examining me from head to toe. I began to fidget nervously, and I bit my lip to stop myself from saying anything else. This was not good. Not good at all.

"You look, just like my friend," she finally said, and my head snapped up to look at her once again.

Friend? How could I look like her friend? Surely I had to be the only one with this kind of crazy hairstyle, unless… Wait a minute. She called me "Prince" just a while ago. Does that mean…

"Do I look like your friend, the Prince?" I ask hesitantly, still not sure if she can understand me, and I watched with wide eyes as she nodded cautiously after a while.

So, she was able to understand what I was saying, and I was able to understand her. How could that be? Her words sound like English to me, and then there's the fact that she's understanding every word that I'm saying. How?! Did Shadi have something to do with it? Did he send me back in time? Was this how I was supposed to follow my "destiny"? Surely there's some kind of magical source at work here. This was all just too unreal for me. Putting a hand to my head as I felt a headache coming on, I stared at the sand only to look up when the girl replied to my question.

"I'm not supposed to say, but yes. You do look like him. A lot, actually," she said, and she smiled warmly at me. Seeing her smile eased some of the worry in my heart, and out of habit whenever I meet someone new, I introduced myself without thinking properly.

"My name is Yugi," I said, and I watched as she bobbed her head in understanding, the quickly darkening sky making her eyes light up.

"Yugi? Well, that's a strange name." She stopped for a short moment. "Are you a foreigner? You don't look like you're from here," she then asked, and the weight of the worry I had just taken off slammed right back into me. Not being able to lie at this point, I just nodded.

"Yes, I guess I am," I said. "Now you'll probably take me to the authorities…" I muttered regretfully, staring back at the sand with dismay only to be startled yet again when I heard her let out a short chuckle.

"The authorities? Why would I do that? You're not a criminal," she said, only to suddenly hear her voice turn grave. "Right?" she asked slowly, and noticing and fearing the little grim look in her eyes, I shook my head furiously.

She shuffled back a step at my response, and I heard her give a little hum of approval before looking back at me. "Well, I don't know where you're from, but trust me, we aren't going to have you captured or anything. We're not like the old times, if that's what you're worried about since it's pretty clear that you haven't come here before." She crossed her arms to stare at the sand, no doubt thinking deeply to herself. However, as soon as she brought her hands to the front of her, I noticed the thing she was holding tightly in her grasp. It kind of looked like a wand. It was blue with a yellow sphere at the bottom, two pink rings at the base of the blue rod, and a small yellow spiral at the head. I stared at it with an unreadable expression on my face. Was that a real, magical wand?

"Our Pharaoh is a great and powerful man. He rules Egypt with vigor, honor, and we all respect him momentously for his high interest in the prosperity of the land. He may be harsh at times, but he's no fool when it comes to the rules and regulations that needs to be followed in order to keep his kingdom and those who inhabit it safe. He's respected throughout, and he values peace, a reason as to why he shares no enmity with any neighbouring countries, nor does he like excluding anyone from our village," the girl continued seriously, and I could see the look of pride and determination in her eyes. "He's very kind, so please, do not be afraid, mister Yugi. You're safe here."

From the way she described the current Pharaoh in this time period, it sounded a lot like Pharaoh Aknamkanon. Agreed, we don't know a lot about him, but he did rule for quite a long time. The things she said were traits of how generous and kind he was as a ruler of Egypt, and especially the part about his immense power and authority. Pharaoh's were indeed kind of like walking Gods to the Ancient Egyptian's, but when it came to Pharaoh Aknamkanon, he was the most cherished of all. I took another glance at the wand in the girl's hand. If this was his time, then it does explain her wand. It was, in fact, during his time when magic began to be used profusely.

"Mana!"

I snapped out of my thoughts and suddenly looked up with fear as I heard the cold voice shout out, and a sweat rolled down my cheek as I stared up at the blue eyed man that towered above me. Instinctively I started to slowly take steps back.

"What's wrong?" I heard the girl, Mana, asked me, and I swallowed deeply before responding.

"Those people, they were chasing me. That's why I ran and bumped into you, and, and now they're back," I explained hurriedly, and just when I was about to dive back into the bush, I felt her grab my arm.

"Hey, it's just Priest Set. No need to be so scared," she explained to me, and I heard her make an amused sound. I turned to look at her before cautiously looking up to see the blue eyes boring into my own yet again.

"He's glaring at me," I whispered fearfully to her, and from the corner of my eye I watched Mana wave at him.

"Don't worry. There could only be two reason's as to why he's following you," she said. "He either mistook you for the Prince since he was after all sent out to look for him. Or…" she sighed and shook her head, "he knows that you're a foreigner and he's just curious. He loves learning about other people, so seeing your light coloured skin probably surprised him."

I nodded to myself unsurely. I still didn't know if I should trust him. He was cold, and as soon as I locked eyes with him, I just felt afraid. But of course. It was natural for me to be terrified of this man. I looked back up to see him signalling Mana. He glanced at me before turning back to her, his hand raising to point towards the village. I just stared, knowing exactly who he was. _"He was Priest Set during this time, and he would eventually become Pharaoh. Pharaoh Set, the one who ruled after the Nameless Pharaoh."_ I looked at Mana, watching as she scowled up at Set, probably by what he was telling her. " _The Nameless Pharaoh is her friend._ " I looked on until he galloped away, the two men also on horses following him as he left.

"Well, it looks like I have to head home now," Mana told me, her arms raising to touch the sky as she stretched and then let out a yawn. She sighed and took a look up at the sky that was slowly turning from dark blue into black, stars already beginning to litter the sky like ants. "Besides, we should get going," she continued. "It's not safe here, especially at night." I looked around, the silence echoing around me. It was quiet. Very quiet. The only sound was the Nile splashing against its bank, and ever so faintly I could hear rattles. Of what? I really didn't want to find out.

"Let's go," Mana said, and I followed her back up the slope. I looked at her, curious as to who Mana actually was. What was her status? I've never heard of her before, so it was unclear to me if she played some vital part to the history of this time period. She had to be important though because she knew Pharaoh Set, and the Nameless Pharaoh, two very important and fascinating people during this time.

"How do you know him?" I asked, my feet now starting to ache from all the walking, running, and climbing I had to do, but I looked at her, the need of hearing her answer and expression more important than worrying about my pain.

"I'm a magician," she confessed, turning to look at me, and my eyes widened, my theory of magic just being confirmed. "Well, a magician in training." She paused. "I was here practicing for the last few hours. I'm not very good yet, but I'm trying my hardest. Hopefully one day I shall stand in line with the priests in the Pharaoh's court, helping to protect the village. Just like my teacher," she vowed to herself, and I looked on as she held her wand to her chest with the same look in her eyes when she told me about the Pharaoh. Truly, she was very loyal to her village, and the Pharaoh.

"I'm sure you'll get there," I said quietly, making my way over the sand carefully while trying to dodge the holes and piles of sand in the dark that was formed due to the wind. We were almost back at the village, and although I met someone, it doesn't solve my problem of what I was going to do for the night. I could ask her, but, we just met. However, what choice did I have?

As we neared the village, I could see someone on horseback holding a torch, and looking closely I saw that it was Set, watching us intently. I stepped behind Mana, not sure how I was going to face him. I've seen his tomb, seen his dead body on display in the museum in Cairo… it was too surreal. How could I possibly look at him without crumbling?

"Thank you, Set," Mana started, and she walked up to him with her expression showing nothing but respect. "Did you manage to find the Prince?" she asked, and at the question Set just grumbled, shot me another look, and then turned around and began to trot away. I watched Mana who sighed and shook her head sadly to herself. Thinking that she was just going to leave, she turned back to me.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" she asked, and I mentally cheered. I shook my head.

"No. I… I arrived today. I don't know anyone here and-" I began to stutter. Lying wasn't really my cup of tea. However, Mana just smiled knowingly.

"It's alright. I think I know somewhere that you could stay. You seem to be a nice person so I'm sure they won't mind having you with them."

"Thank you so much, Mana," I said gratefully, and she just nodded.

"It's no problem at all. Come, I'll take you to them. He's a farmer, his wife's a baker, and they're the ones who supply the palace with food. I know him pretty well and he's very trustworthy too. You're in good hands with him. Plus, he has a son. He's a bit younger than you, but I'm sure you'll all get along just fine," Mana assured.

"So, um, did Set, I mean, Priest Set locate the Prince?" I asked hesitantly, and I watched as Mana shrugged.

"I'm not sure. He didn't say, but I guess I'll go and find out. If Pharaoh Aknamkanon is still yelling about his missing son and Queen Ankhhi is tensed until she's falling ill, then no. I guess they did not. But, this is normal in the palace," she admitted, and I watched as a small frown appeared on her face, her gaze falling to the floor to stare at it forlornly. "The Prince disappears every so often, exploring the village and the deserts when he's supposed to be doing his lessons. He's the next one in line for the throne after his father, and it worries people to see that he's not taking it as seriously as he should. And, although we don't talk a lot or even see each other most of the time, I am the first to be asked as to where he could be. Sometimes blamed as well," Mana told me, and I nodded in understanding.

The Nameless Pharaoh didn't sound evil. Just, very adventurous and like any other boy. Then again, what exactly is he doing out all day? Where is he? And, how old is he anyways? I shuddered, the image of his tomb returning to my mind and the blood red irises of his eyes boring holes inside my skull. The smirk that played on his lips in my first vision was still burned in my memory, and the splatter of blood on his face didn't help put me at ease either. Just what am I supposed to do?

"Are you okay? You seem tense," Mana asked, concerned, and she stopped to knock on a wooden door.

I didn't reply to her. I just watched half-heartedly as the door opened up and a man welcomed her, and listened only for a short moment as she began to explain to him that I needed somewhere to stay. His brown eyes looked up and down at me, but eventually he smiled and nodded his head.

"Okay, I'll be going now," Mana said to me, and I watched as she waved and left. I looked on for a bit as she walked away, and my eyes slowly trailed up to look at the palace that loomed over me in the distance. I took a deep, shaky breath. I wasn't dreaming. This was all real. This was really happening to me. I'm in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Aknamkanon, saw the future Pharaoh, and I'm probably only steps away from the Nameless King. This was all, ninety-nine point nine percent real.

My eyes wavered as I took a last look back at the palace before turning around to give a small smile to the man who looked at me, ushering me into his home. I stepped in and looked around with a somewhat heavy heart. It wasn't because it was staying with him for the night. No. It was because of my situation. I'm in a strange land with strange people, in a place where I don't belong. It's exciting and all, but I couldn't bring myself to be thrilled. This was serious, dangerous, and just being here only made me afraid of the days to come.

* * *

 **So there. The end of the chapter. How do you like the new characters? Were they okay? How about the chapter? -sigh- I tried my best. I added a lot of facts about Ancient Egypt, I think I expanded and talked about almost everything that I possibly could. I hope that there isn't too much repeats, and that things aren't happening too quickly. I feel as if I introduced Mana too quickly in the story, and made Yugi aware of her connection with Atem too fast. I don't know. Tell me what you think. If you see anything out of place of have any feedback, please let me know. It really means a lot to me.**

 **Oh, and i, I've listened to you and tried to add as much history as I can. I just imagined what you would advise me, and just did it before uploading. Search and find. That's what this story is about. I hope there was searching, and Yugi finding. :)**

 **Anyways, review everyone! The story is heading in a very wonderful direction. I will try my best to update soon. Thank you so much for the support. Luv you all.**

 **Bye~**


	9. Chapter 9

**So, hey everyone… It's been three weeks… A month. I'm sorry. I will try my hardest to update sooner. Thank you all for the reviews and your patience with me, and I'm glad to see that you all are willing to help. Feel free to point things out when you read the chapter that you think was "off" or anything. :) I'm keeping this short so you can read the chapter quickly. Heh, heh. Very sorry for the terrible wait. O.O"**

 **RESPONSE~**

 **i – Thank you, for your wonderful words. I'm glad that the chapter was super great! I went back and looked over Mana's scene again, and made her character more proper. I just love that scene even more. xD So yes, do check it out! Many thanks and appreciation. Glad the chapter was almost perfect, but you're right. There is always room for amelioration.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 9

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The inside of the mud-made house was a bit cooler than the outside, and a musky smell surrounded me as soon as I slowly stepped into the small home that the farmer owned. I had to blink a bit to get used to the lighting since it was quite dark, but eventually my eyes adjusted and immediately I took notice of the oil lamps situated around the home. There was just two, but it seemed more than enough to brighten the small space.

"Son, where are you from?"

Startled, I turned around the moment I heard the soft-spoken voice to look at the man. He was gazing at me wearily with his dark brown eyes, wrinkles evident in the corners of his dark skin. Feeling that my mouth had suddenly gone dry, I gulped and moved my tongue around in an attempt to loosen it up to answer him.

"Greece," I answered, and I gave the best fake smile I could. Ancient Greece surely did exist around this time period. They began to live in Ancient Egypt ever since the seventh century BC., so it shouldn't be too shocking or farfetched for a person here to believe.

"Ah," the man replied, surprised, and he looked at me with a hint of fascination in his eyes. "What brings you here all the way from Greece?" and then he takes a glance down at my clothing. As soon as he did, my blood drained from my system. Yes, the problem right now would be about how to explain my dressing. How that little fact slipped my mind, I would never know. "And your clothing… is nothing like I've seen the Greeks wear. Is it a new form of warrior clothing? Are you a soldier?" he went on, and I shook my head, my stress level rising to a point where it had never risen before.

"Ah, no, I'm not a warrior. I'm, I'm-" I struggled to say, and I bit my tongue as the man looked at me with interest. "I mean, yes, I am." Seeing him nod, I mentally slapped myself. I just told the man I was from Greece where many, almost all men, became warriors as their profession. It was either theatre, or the military, or fulltime farming. I haven't learned a lot about Ancient Greece, but I do know some things. Hopefully with the information I know about the Ancient Greeks will strengthen my lie. I had to seem more realistic because if I'm caught… Shaking the thoughts away from my mind, I pulled my gaze away from him to look around the home.

The first thing I noticed was that the structure was quite large to be a farmer's home. During my studies and the things Grandpa would tell me about Ancient Egypt's village, I had learned and thought that farmers, because of their low status, had rooms that weren't very, large. Even when I was walking up to the house with Mana I noticed that it was way below the average sized home on the outside. Now it was clear to me that it was just a misconception of mine. I wasn't sure about the home size of other farmers in the village, but this man's house may be an exception due to the fact that these people fed the palace and therefore was a bit wealthier than the others.

I stopped walking when I stepped into an opened area in the house. It was small, just around the size of my bedroom back home. Reed mats laid on the floor, used as a place where they would sit, eat and relax during the day, and in the upper corner of the room sat a little cooking fire where the wife of the home would grind wheat to make bread and prepare food for her family, and for the Royals. And to confirm my thoughts, just alongside the mini "kitchen" sat almost a dozen bags of wheat and a few baskets filled with a variety of vegetables and fruit. Looking to the other side of the home, I noticed that there were two doorways, probably leading to the bedrooms in where cots and baskets were laid for them to sleep and keep their clothing in. Just next to those doorways stood a smaller space, and I was almost certain that the room had to be a washroom where they bathed.

"What's your name?" the man asked me, and slowly he sat down on one of the mats, gesturing downwards for me to follow suit. He did so awkwardly, and from his face I could tell that he just didn't know what to do with me. I was after-all a stranger from another land at his home. And, to make it even more weird, I had a strong resemblance to their Prince. Of course they would be cautious.

As he coughed to himself, I made my way over to the mat across from him and sat down. Gulping, I fiddled with my hands as I thought deeply to myself. I had just told the man that I was from Greece, but now I had to think of a name to match! What Greek name do I know?! Struggling to come up with a name, my eyes widened when a familiar one lit up in my brain, the image of the card dancing around my mind.

"Timaeus," I answered him, and I watched anxiously as he hummed in response.

"Timaeus?" he repeated slowly to himself, and I took a deep breath, and nodded.

Timaeus was definitely a Greek name. It meant, _to honour_ , and there was one card in my dueling deck back at home that owned the name. The Eye of Timaeus, it's called, and it's one of my most powerful dragons. But, just as a smile appeared on my face, it was wiped away when I remembered that I had told Mana that my name was Yugi. I didn't think that I would have to change my name. With my head pounding, I smiled at Ramose who was looking at me intently. How was I going to fix this? Getting caught in a lie most certainly wasn't on my list.

"Ramose? Who are you speaking with?"

Looking up as another person made their presence known, I watched as a woman dressed in course linen, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders come out from one of the rooms with a basket filled with white cloth. With big, brown, surprised eyes she stared at me for a second and clutched the basket tighter before turning to no doubt her husband. She stood still, frozen, unsure of what to do while Ramose looked up at her with a curious gaze. Seeing her fear, Ramose stood up and made his way over to her. He spoke quietly to the woman, and as he did I turned my gaze back to the ground before me. I couldn't hear what he was telling her, but surely it was to explain who I was and where I popped up from.

"Get him some proper clothing," I then heard Ramose say a bit louder now, a sign that their hushed conversation was complete, and I looked up to see him watching his wife disappear back into the room. He turned back to me. "Are you hungry?" he asked, and at that question I didn't know how to answer him. I didn't want to inconvenience him, but I was also very hungry. I looked back up at him to see him still staring at me, and slowly I nodded.

"Alright," he said, and I watched as he walked into the kitchen and began to pick up some fruits. While he did that, his wife returned with a few clothes hanging from her arm. Slowly she walked towards me, and with her eyes to the floor she held them out for me to take.

"You can wear these," she said quietly. "The bathroom is over there with some water that you can use."

Tentatively taking the clothes from her, I stood up, noticing the gap between us. I was a strange man to her, so her distance was understandable along with Ramose's keen gaze which I could see him giving me from the corner of my eye. "Thank you," I said, and she nodded before retreating back into the room.

Slowly I treaded the short distance across the living room into the washroom. As soon as I stepped in, I looked around. Just like the rest of the home was made with the dried mud, so was the bathroom. The bucket sat in the middle, and I could see a little hole in the wall where perhaps the water drained itself from the wash area. The clay pot sat in the middle of the room, and looking around, I noticed a long cloth, almost resembling a shower curtain, hanging at the side of the doorway.

"You can pull that," Ramose called, and I looked at him only to see his intrigued expression. Feeling my face heat up, I pulled the curtain, plunging the room into darkness. It wasn't so dark because the light of the lamp could be seen through the white curtain, so that made me quite pleased. I hung the clothes made of course linen on a little rope that was strung against the wall, and after a few more moments of inspecting, I took a deep breath and just leaned back against the dried mud. The entire home only made me feel anxious, and the gazes Ramose kept giving me weren't so comforting. It felt as if he was inspecting me, and I don't know if it's because I lied and my own guilt was scaring me, or because I felt as if he knew I was lying.

Stripping down after another sigh and pushing myself away from the wall, I took everything off and threw them in a corner before crouching and taking the little clay bowl that was in the corner. I touched the water in the jug only to hiss and pull back, only to just dive forward and get the bath over with. Cringing as the cold water touched my skin, rolling off my body and splashing on the ground, I breathed in and out deeply, shivering. This was clearly going to take some time getting used to.

Standing after I was done, I grabbed the small rag on the rope and proceeded to dry my body off. My skin was a bit red from the icy water, but I was as clean as I was ever going to be. Picking up the tunic that was brought for me, I realised that it was a bit big since Ramose was a lot bigger than I, but again, it would have to do. Drooping that across my arm, I looked at the other pieces of cloth, only to still with horror. This was Ancient Egypt. Underwear didn't exist. Lion-cloths did, but, wearing that was not something I wanted to do. Looking at the clothes, it didn't take long for me to identify what pieces were supposed to be used for the loincloth. There was also a shendyt, and mentally groaning, I looked back to my clothes that were sitting in the corner of the room. I had no other option. Twisting my lips, I hung the clothes back on the rope and grabbed my underwear from the pile. I would have to wash it and wear it wet. Another thing that would just have to due until further notice.

Two minutes later, I pulled back the curtain and stepped barefoot out into the living room with my old clothes in one hand, and the rag hiding the lion-cloth in the other. I wore the shendyt and the tunic, and I did have to admit that it was quite comfortable. I stood still when Ramose's wife came up and took the rag from me, and reluctantly she removed my old attire that I may not ever see again from my arms.

"Finished?" Ramose asked, and I pursed my lips together and nodded when I saw him step out from one of the rooms.

"Yes, I'm feeling much more refreshed. Thank you."

"Come, eat," he said, and again he led me on to the reed mats. We sat, and in a short moment his wife reappeared and handed me a clay bowl and a cup.

"Timaeus, this is my wife, Senisonbe," he told me while I took the utensils from her.

"Hello," I said to her, and she nodded solemnly before moving to sit close beside her husband on the reed mat. She pulled a basket filled with cloth that was sitting in the corner, and I looked on as she picked a white, course linen up. From her movements she seemed to be sewing a tunic of some sort, her copper eye needle going back and forth carefully. Chain stitches were evident as she sewed up the sides, and I was transfixed on what she was doing, mostly seeing as to how there was little difference in the way things were sewn. It would be great to actually see how the cloths were created, but I already knew and could tell that I was tough labour. Women were the ones who held up the task of weaving the fibers of plants into cloth, so it was no surprise to me to see her work so skillfully, especially during this time. She was even fashionable, a belt made from rope and decorated with clay beads hanging from her waist, and an amulet of the goddess Tawaret wrapped around her neck with a piece of papyrus string.

Pulling my eyes away from what she was doing, I looked into the bowl to see that it was just a piece of bread and some fruits. There seemed to be a few grapes, and a few dates. I wasn't a big fan of dates, but here it was considered a staple diet. In the cup, I picked it up and took a sip, only to have my face scrunch up as the heavy tang of beer invaded my taste buds. I didn't drink beer or alcohol of any kind in the future, and here I'm given the strongest beer known to mankind. There was a lot of things I would have to get used to, and this home alone was changing everything about me since I arrived.

"I have a son too," Ramose trailed on, and I turned towards him, washing down the taste of the beer with a grape and a piece of bread. He was staring at Senisonbe as she worked quietly before bringing his eyes back to look at me. "His name is Merimose. He's quite old, around ten summers. I would let you meet him as well, but perhaps he's gone to sleep."

"No, he's not," Senisonbe said suddenly, her voice low, but we both heard her and our eyes fell on her as she spoke. "He's…" she paused, finding words to explain before looking up at Ramose. "He's hiding."

"Tell him to come out, then," Ramose said, but she shook her head.

"He doesn't want to come out. He said that he was going to sleep as soon as I told him that, um…"

Ramose was quiet, and looking at his wife a bit longer, he turned towards me with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but Merimose usually isn't shy like this."

"It's alright," I said. "He doesn't have to come out if he doesn't want to." And quickly I ate the last grape and tried to swallow down the beer as fast as I could. Wasting wasn't good manners, and luckily there wasn't much beer for me to get drunk off of- I hoped.

"I planned on having you sleep in his room, though," Ramose explained, and I watched him uncertainly as Senisonbe took the bowl and cup away from me. I hiccupped, looking on as he sighed before getting up.

"Merimose!" he called, and I looked at his retreating back as he walked into the nearest room. Senisonbe sat awkwardly on the mat, sewing quietly, leaving me to just sit there waiting. And as I waited, my thoughts crashed down, the pile of worries refusing to leave me alone.

Just how long was I going to be here? What do I do? I was terrified of what the future had in store for me, and the more I thought about it the more troubled I got. I sighed, crossing my legs and putting my hands in my lap while biting the inside of my mouth nervously, Shadi's words about me fulfilling my destiny running through my mind. I had to save the Nameless Pharaoh, and if I really have to do that, I would be frightened to death. I am frightened to death. But, I met Mana, and she shone this light on the Prince, the Nameless Pharaoh, that made me rethink that there may be something not so scary about him. He seemed quite normal for a young boy. Was my initial thought right when I had first heard about him? Was this all just a misunderstanding on my part, and everyone else's part? I couldn't tell. There was no proof stating otherwise. Either way, just what was I going to do? I had no sense of direction. But, I was stuck here until who knows when. Atleast I had some people here that can give me some direction in at the moment. I don't know them yet, but they will take care of me and guide me for now.

"Merimose, come on out and say hello to our guest." Hearing Ramose's light order, I looked up when the man entered the living room with a young boy wrapped around his leg, hiding behind him. I watched as the boy looked at me from behind his father. "He is very kind. Don't be afraid. You're my son so stop hiding like a coward," Ramose told him, but the boy still didn't move.

"Hello, Merimose," I said as warmly as I could in hopes of easing his fear, and the boy's brown eyes remained locked on mines. "My name is, Timaeus."

He looked down, and with a gentle push from Ramose, he was brought out from behind Ramose to stand on his own. Now that I could see him, he looked quite old to be around only ten summers, or, ten years old. He seemed to be around fifteen. Then again, children did grow up faster during these time periods. At this age he's preparing for his own future, so no wonder he looked so old. He's seen hardship and had to work, but yet I could see that there was this spark of childishness hiding within him.

"Hi," Merimose said, and he bit his lip and shuffled uncomfortably from one foot to the next, his shendyt, the only thing that he was wearing, rising as he moved back and forth.

"Timaeus will be sharing your room," Ramose said to him, and I watched as the boy stilled and looked at me with a tint of worry in his eyes.

"Is that okay with you, Merimose?" I asked, and quickly he turned to me and nodded before disappearing behind his father again. Ramose shot the boy a stern look before turning back to me.

"Alright, Timaeus. It's quite late and I have to wake up early tomorrow. You have had a long day as well, so let's all retire for tonight." I stood, and I watched as Ramose patted Merimose's back. "Senisonbe took out the extra cot we have and there's a sheet that you can use. Please, make yourself comfortable," he said softly, almost a whisper, but I heard his words.

"Alright," I said to him. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

"It's no problem," Ramose said, and while Senisonbe blew out one of the oil lamps which made the home that much darker, Ramose picked up the other lamp and handed it to me. "Use this until you get settled in. Do remember to blow it out before you sleep. It will attract insects." I took the lamp gently and held it by the handle in my hand.

"I will."

He nodded, and together he and Senisonbe went into their room, and I followed Merimose into his. He remained quiet, avoiding trying to speak with me, but I allowed it. He too was uncomfortable with me, and to be honest, I didn't want to converse with people right now. The less I spoke, the better it would be for me.

As soon as I entered the room, Merimose pulled the curtain which hung by a rope to cover the doorway, and quickly crawled on to his cot, covering himself up with the linen sheet which left me to believe that the other cot was mine. I walked over to it, and while I did, I looked around. The room was small. The two cots were situated in the corner with enough space separating the two in between. A few baskets were lined against the wall, each one filled with clothes. There were no windows, but it was still cool in the room, the dried mud creating quite a great insulation. I took a look over at Merimose to see him looking at me, and realising that he was caught staring, his eyes widened and he turned around to face the wall. Grinning a bit at his curiosity, I put the lamp down and crawled on to the cot. It was stiff, but seemed fine enough. I laid down, and before I could put my head down, I picked up the lamp. Taking one last look around the room, I sighed deeply before blowing it out and quickly hiding myself with the sheet, covering myself from head to toe. I wasn't taking any chances with the bugs.

Under the sheets, I closed my heavy eyes to see nothing but more darkness, and it didn't take long for my body to relax and just sink into the cot. My entire system slowed down, and hearing absolute silence, I just felt so at peace, my worries seeming to have vanished. Now I was able to rest my heavy eyes after the long day, but as soon as I thought I had drifted off into the abyss of my mind, I felt something.

* * *

 **There. The end of the chapter once again. It was still very difficult to write, but hopefully I left enough mystery and questions and it is more realistic. Uncertainty about what I was writing was very high, and I took long to update because I just couldn't figure out what to do with the information, especially how to organise it. Tell me what you think, please. It will really ease me frustrated mind. xD**

 **Review! And thank you. :)**

 **Bye~**


	10. Chapter 10

**No, this is NOT a new chapter. I repeat, NOT A NEW CHAPTER. I really just hated chapter 9, and trying to edit it all was too big of a task, so, I cut it in half. This is the half that I cut off, Yugi's soul room part, up until the end. Chapter nine was heavily edited, so please, do re-read it and feedback would be adored. However, I'm not mean. I will be updating chapter 11, the new chapter, in a few hours. Thanks!**

 **i, your review made me want to laugh and cry at the same time, so I just settled for the old face in pillow with scrambled thoughts for a few minutes. xD Please, tell me I did better! Your help is greatly appreciated.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **And I apologise for raising your hopes.**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 10

* * *

My body felt light. It felt as if I was floating through space in complete darkness, only to suddenly see light behind my closed eyes. It got brighter and brighter the more I drifted along until it seemed as if I had only closed my eyes in a bright room. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, I stopped flying.

Slowly, like a feather, I was put to stand on my feet in this light. The ground was cold; that was the first thing my mind started to register other than the lightness, and I could feel my arms gently return to my sides. Just what was happening to me? The first thing that popped into my head was the appearance of another dream, so as soon as I felt some weight return to my body, without wasting any time I opened my eyes only to be hit with a blinding light. I snapped my eyelids shut and stepped back, using my arms to shield my vision from the brightness. I stood there, breathing through my teeth, too afraid to even move my now cold feet. I had no idea where I was, and one thing was for sure, I was definitely not in Ramose's home any more. Then, where am I? What was this place? I would never find out if I just hid my face like this, so hesitantly and very slowly I removed my arms and opened my eyes to look around me. My eyes adjusted easier this time, and as soon as I was able to see, I stepped back in shock. This… this looked like…

"We finally meet again, Yugi."

Still in mild disbelief, my head instantly spun around to see the one who had spoken. My heart twisted in my chest as I stared at Shadi who was standing by the doorway, looking at me with that expressionless face of his. I gulped when he took a step into the square, light blue painted room, easily avoiding the familiar history books and games scattered across the entire floor. Just like I predicted- he returned. But, now what? What am I to do? What was he going to do? One after another, questions rammed my brain, but so far none received any answer.

"Wh-Where am I?" I asked, my voice shaking with fear and confusion as I looked at him before returning my gaze to the bedroom I was in. My bedroom. A double sized bed with white pillows and a light blue bedsheet, my history books sitting across the floor like they usually are at home, and my toys and games that I keep on my shelves, laying on the ground for all eyes to see. None of this was making any sense to me. There were no windows in this room like my bedroom, and the pitch black hall outside the door was a big sign that kept me assured that I was not back at the Game Shop where I lived. So, where was I?

"Where am I?" I asked again, and with trembling hands I made fists before staring at him with as much confidence I could muster. I've had enough of the questions, and fearing him so badly. Now, I was going to make sure I got some answers. If he wants me to save his Pharaoh, then he'll have to do this for me because I couldn't take it anymore.

Calm as ever, he locked eyes with me for a while. He was studying me, and the more he stared, the more I had to fight back the nerves and clutch my courage tightly. I swallowed uneasily, but stayed strong. Then, he spoke.

"This is your soul room," Shadi answered, and at that I loosened my fists and just watched him with trepidation because I had never heard of such a thing.

"My, soul room?" I repeated, and I glanced around the room again, uneasy.

"Yes," Shadi confirmed. "This is a room in your mind which is connected to your heart. It depicts your life, your dreams, your goals and wishes. It holds your secrets, and most importantly, it holds who you are, and what you yourself may not know what you will become."

"Who I am?" I asked with wide eyes, and he slowly nodded. I watched as he took a step forward, but just as quickly I stepped away from him and eyed him wearily. I had no proper reason to trust this man, ghost, or, whatever he is.

"Why have you brought me here?" I then asked, the words coming out harsher than I intended, but from his unchanging expression, I couldn't tell if he minded or not.

"I had to speak with you," he replied.

I just continued to stare at him. He remained silent, looking at me intently, and when he said nothing more, my mouth opened and my frustration poured out like a fountain.

"About what? Are you going to clarify to me why I'm here? If so, I already know. I'm in Ancient Egypt, during Pharaoh Aknamkanon's rule, with his son, the Nameless Pharaoh, the one you want me to save, just a few steps away from me." I glared. "So tell me. Explain! Because frankly I'm tired of all the questions."

"That is what I've come to do," he said, and I listened closely to what he had to say even though the spark of anger that lit up inside of me the minute I began to speak grew bigger.

"Indeed, you are here in Pharaoh Aknamkanon's time, and it is in this time period that you will fulfill your destiny."

Somehow, hearing him say the word "destiny" once again, it caused the fire burning to be put out, and tears welled up in my eyes. Destiny? My destiny took me back thousands of years into the past? What the heck. This was a horrible nightmare. It had to be. My destiny couldn't have possibly brought me back here, to an evil, or not evil, King's time. No way.

"Why do you keep saying that?" I asked, my voice shaking. "I don't want this destiny. I don't want to save him, so just leave me alone, okay? Take me back home. Take me back."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that."

"Why not!?" I shrieked. "Why me? Why do I have to save him?" and in despair I dropped to my knees, my bare legs making contact with the cold floor. I could sense Shadi's eyes on me, but I couldn't care any less. The first time I step foot into Egypt, a few days after I'm hunted down by a ghost and thrown into Ancient Egypt, fearing for my life the minute I entered, stuck with saving, quite possibly, the evilest and mysterious Pharaoh to have ever lived.

"Because you're the only one that knows how."

"What do you mean?" I asked between watery eyes, and I gazed up at him. He was looking down at me, and I looked on as he stepped forward before crouching down infront of me. With one of his legs up and one bent to the ground, I shivered when he brought a hand and rested it on my shoulder. It felt like a real hand and I had to remind myself that he was just a spirit. A ghost. And as I reassured myself of that, goosebumps broke out on my flesh and I couldn't bring myself to get away from him.

"I know that this is a frightening experience for you, and I know that you are afraid of me, but you have to trust me when I say that you are the only one that knows how to save the Nameless Pharaoh. He needs you right now, so you have to stay here and remember all that you've lost so that you could save his soul from destruction."

"What is it that I have to remember? What do I know? I know nothing," I began to say to the ground, and I clenched my eyes when he tightened his hold around my shoulder. The Nameless Pharaoh needs my help, and Shadi thinks that I know, when in truth I don't know anything about the Nameless Pharaoh. No one does. So, what makes him think that I hold all the secrets? And remember? Remember what exactly? Nothing was making any sense to me.

"Yes you do. You hold all the answers and it is I that know nothing," Shadi said. "I am merely your guide. I'm here to guide you towards retrieving the memories of your past life," and as soon as those words left his mouth, I froze. Slowly, my eyes wavering from shock, too afraid to wonder whether or not my ears deceived me, I looked up at him.

"Past life? What are you talking about?" I asked, fear and worry rising within me, and I gulped when he closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them. I looked on as he stood, and with a small glow of his eyes, I watched as the four walls of the square room I was in collapsed around us one by one. As they fell, my eyes got bigger and bigger and I gawked in horror once I saw what was hidden beyond the walls of my so called soul room. Slowly I got to my feet, and just stared.

Stairs. Hundreds, thousands of stairs ran up and down, sideways and upside down, left and right, each one leading to an iron door filled with mystery. The room was thick with the scent of Egypt everywhere. Sand covered the floor, and limestone bricks created everything from what I could see. It reminded me of an Egyptian home, tomb, or a palace filled with answers that only the owner knew, that was how grand it was. I took a step forward, and then another, my eyes locked on the strange place. I kept walking across the blue, fallen walls of my room, and standing at the boundary of the blue and the cold limestone, I stopped, gulping nervously.

"Now that the time has arrived," Shadi started, "I can make you aware of your first life that was hidden from you until this moment. This room… represents the memories that you have forgotten. This is the soul room of your past existence."

"I don't understand…" I began, clenching my teeth together and gulping as I looked around before turning back to Shadi. "Are you saying that I lived before?"

"Yes," Shadi replied, and seeing his eyes, I saw that they held no uncertainty. He was sure and so confident about what he was saying, however it was all too hard for me to believe.

"You have lived in Egypt, during this time before. You didn't live as an Egyptian though, but as a Greek who was very close to the Nameless Pharaoh. His name was Timaeus, named after a legendary warrior in Greece. And while you were alive, you knew things that no one else did about the Pharaoh."

"What did I know?" I asked, and I wrapped my arms around my tunic, my toes curling from anxiety. I had said my name was Timaeus, and now Shadi's saying my so-called past-self was also named Timaeus who was also Greek, just like the lies I said. This was nonsense. It had to be.

"I am not sure about what you knew, for not even I existed to know because I was created the day your past-self died. He told me this though. He was sacrificing his life and allowing himself to be reborn in a different form, memories and all, just so that he could rescue his King. He, you, entrusted me with one mission- to get his reborn self to finish what he couldn't. You are the only one who can do it, and the fact that you lied to Ramose and told him you were Greek proved that the memories within are reawakening."

"What did I start, and what do I have to finish? And why am I the only one with the ability to complete it?" I whispered, the weight of the revelation causing dread to well up inside of me. "I thought I was supposed to save the Nameless Pharaoh, and still I don't know what I'm supposed to rescue him from. Save him from what? Don't you have any answers?"

"No. But, I can tell you one thing. Just go along the day, and hopefully you will recall as you spend more time here."

I paused to think to myself carefully, my eyes running across the millions of stairs before me. As much as I wanted to deny everything that I has seen, now that I was thinking carefully about it, it couldn't be a hallucination. My past self and life, and then seeing all of this? It was all too real. And I'm not even going to forget the dreams I started to have the minute I entered the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb. Maybe I am connected some way, and this destiny did have some truth? It would explain the reason I'm here, stuck in Ancient Egypt to fulfill my so-called purpose. I wasn't so sure about the past-self thing though. Rebirth was something I was a bit iffy with, but Shadi seemed to be so sure that I held all the answers somewhere within me. I sighed, closing my eyes, unsure of what I was supposed to do. Shadi though wasn't going to let me leave, so, I might as well just go with it, right?

"Alright," I said, gathering determination to try to figure out how to deal with this destiny of mine. "I'll do it. I'll follow along, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do and there's still a tiny part of me that doesn't even think that this is all real." I looked up at Shadi. "So tell me. What is it exactly that I have to do? What is my destiny?"

"You have to save the Nameless Pharaoh," Shadi said, and I nodded, already knowing that little fact. "Something happened to him, and it wasn't right, but that cannot be changed. However, in his tomb sits something that has be spurring alive within his body. I've seen it as I watched over his soul that has still not passed on. It's growing stronger, and right now it's on the brink of causing havoc across the world. That's why you need to do this now."

"Do I know how to stop him?" I asked, and Shadi bobbed his head.

"You do, but since you forgot, you have to go through the life of your past self to put the pieces back together. You will get knowledge here in Ancient Egypt, and you already know the outcome of our land because you're from the future. That is why only you can do it. You have both sides while your past self only had one. Your past self didn't know what laid in store for him, but since you're reborn, you can say you saw a bit of the future. You will still die, because that's how your past self will end, but you will be transported back to the future. Before then though, set things in place that you will need once you return. Prepare."

"But how do I know?" I cried. "How can I remember?"

"Let yourself be guided," Shadi answered. "Everything will play out, and right now, you are just following the footsteps of your past self, just like you did with where you were from. Follow your heart and make your decisions wisely until you slowly regain your memories."

"So, I'm just redoing things?" I asked, trying to swallow the information he was giving me even though it caused my stomach to churn.

"Yes," Shadi answered, and I took a few breaths slowly only to have my eyes widen when I remembered something, something that started to make a little bit of sense now that I know of my apparent past self.

"Is that why the necklace was there? Did my past-self put it in the Nameless Pharaoh's sarcophagus, knowing that I would find it? It did lead me to the village," I explained. "Without it I may not have found my way."

Shadi looked at me blankly, and slowly he nodded. "Perhaps." But then another thing popped up for me to question.

"But I thought he, my past self, didn't know of the future. If he didn't know, why did he put the necklace there for me? How did he know that I would get the neckless? How did he even know that he would be reborn in me?" I watched as a smile graced Shadi's lips, and seeing him show such a bold expression unnerved me.

"That, I believe, Yugi, is faith. He had faith that evil will be destroyed, something that I hope you start believing in as well."

"So does that mean the Nameless Pharaoh truly is evil?" I said slowly, but Shadi did not give me a straight answer.

"You will have to figure that out on your own. I do not want what I say influencing your decisions. They have to be as pure and untouched just like your past self's choices were."

Unable to think of anything that could counter what he said, I just remained mum, brooding silently to myself only to speak again once I remembered what had happened to the strange, little trinket. However, when I looked up, I saw that he was walking away, his form getting dimmer and more translucent.

"Shadi!" I yelled, and he stopped after a few steps to look at me. "The necklace is gone though. I dropped it and Priest Set found it."

"Don't worry," he said. "It is with the person it should be with. Again, it is the past playing out. If you weren't to have it, then you won't have it. If you need it again, you will know how to retrieve it." And he began to walk again, disappearing quickly, a sure sign that our conversation was over. Feeling fearful again, I couldn't help but call out once more.

"Shadi!" I shouted, but a bright, blinding light invaded my vision once again. Just like before it got bright and brighter and I got lighter and lighter. A moment later, everything started to dim, and I opened my eyes again when I saw pitch black behind my lids. Darkness greeted me, and I realised that I was back in the small home, laying on the cot in Merimose's room.

Flopping down, I clenched my teeth together, and with one movement I sat up and allowed my feet to touch the dusty ground. I stared at my hands which were in my lap, and shaking I brought them up to my face in hopes that I may be able to ease the pounding of my heart. Slowly I took deep breaths in, and then out, but nothing seemed to work to get me to calm down. I was in a world that wasn't my own. People I don't know, a culture that I didn't understand and wasn't used to. How could I deal with this? And then my destiny. Saving the Nameless Pharaoh.

With a sigh I leaned down into the cot and slowly brought my legs up. As I adjusted the sheet over my body, I stared at the darkened wall, picturing the dark, with a tint of blue, sky that laid outside. My eyes slipped shut, and slowly my body returned to its normal breathing pattern. There was nothing more I would want to do than go home. But, I will try to fulfill this destiny of mine. The world apparently rested in my hands. I won't stay here forever, that was clear through Shadi's words though. Eventually, I'll wake up and I'll really find myself at home with my Grandpa. Everything will go back to normal. I just have to continue to have faith that everything will return to how it was.

* * *

 **So there we have it. I do hope you liked it. If you had read the before, tell me what you think of them both now. I'm really trying my best to make this story as perfect as I can, and all of you, readers, are encouraged to point out any flaws you can see, no matter how little. :) I see your reviews, and it warms my heart reading your kind words of encouragement. It fills me with hope and determination, and trust me, I will continue to write until the end, even if I do take some time to update.**

 **Thank you once again, and I look forward to seeing you all next chapter for the "official" new update.**

 **Bye~**


	11. Chapter 11

**And this, is the OFFICIAL, new update. Thank you all for the reviews, favourites, and follows. It continues to blow my mind seeing how popular this story is getting. Anyways, I do hope you all like this chapter.**

 **IMPORTANT – The last thing I would want is for you all needing to re-read chapter 9, again, so I'm just going to summarize what has changed in chapter 9. Yugi DID NOT tell Ramose his real name,** _ **Yugi**_ **. Instead, Yugi lied and said his name was Timaeus, a Greek name, just for the sake of blending in better. So, when you see people calling Yugi, Timaeus, don't worry, that's his false name that he's going with. But if I'm still not making sense, you're always free to re-read chapter 9, again. So sorry, and many thanks for reading and having patience with this fanfic that was written by a lunatic.**

 **RESPONSE~**

 **i – I tried my best. The amount of times I had to edit chapter nine drove me crazy, and I don't know what the heck I'm doing anymore. But, I followed your advices because clearly I am not paying closer attention to the details in my story. There are, or were, so many plot holes. So thank you. I hope chapter 9 is better now, and it makes me happy to see that chapter 10 was perfect (as it can be). I went back and re-edited chapter 9, a teeny bit for chapter 10 (because of the naming issue). Hopefully it is much better now. :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 11

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Silence greeted me as I laid on the soft cot, my head resting gently against the feather-like pillows. I moved my legs slowly across the bed, and feeling the warm sheets, I reached out to pull them closer only to suddenly hear shuffles, dirt grinding across the ground. Was Merimose awake? Lazily I stretched a bit and opened my eyes, only to have my heart drop down to the pit of my stomach. My eyes widened to see blood red irises staring into my own, and a gleaming dagger pointed at my face which was held tightly in his hands. A smirk sat on the Nameless Pharaoh's face, and he just looked down at me as he towered above my form confidently. Breathing erratically I hastily tried to sit up, only to find that I could barely move my body for some reason. I gulped, sweat rolling down my neck as I looked up at him, words foreign to my mouth. Watching him bring the knife closer to my skin, I just snapped my eyes shut from fear.

"You don't want to do this," I heard a voice say, and slowly I re-opened my eyes to see another hand protruding from my sides. This arm was fair like my own arm, and I knew that those words did not leave my mouth. "Put the dagger down. Enough of this." And the person who spoke sat up, his translucent, multi-coloured hair now in my face.

Another vision.

Realising this, I scurried off of the bed and tumbled my way to the floor to stand a good distance away to watch the scene that unfolded. And now that I saw everything, I could see a splitting image of myself sitting on the bed calmly, an arm raised towards the Nameless Pharaoh. A scowl was on the Pharaoh's face now because of my other-self's words, Timaeus's words, and instantly I watched as his thin, long, tanned fingers tightened around the handle of the blade to be sharply brought down to my other self's neck. This was the past, or what was to come because the person on the bed definitely wasn't me. Knowing this, I gulped deeply and took another hesitant step back as Timaeus closed his eyes before staring up into the Pharaoh's bloodied ones.

"Stop," Timaeus repeated, and without waiting for another word to pass my lookalike's mouth, the Nameless Pharaoh struck. Easily Timaeus dodged the attack, falling to his back and then rolling away, quickly getting to his feet. Disappointment and hurt was on his face as he glanced at the Pharaoh who only looked cold, a dark aura surrounding his entire being. With the dagger at his side, the Pharaoh jumped over the bed in one swoop and Timaeus dashed for the door, seemingly deciding not to confront the Pharaoh.

"Snap out of it!" Timaeus shouted, and as he looked back the Pharaoh grabbed the collar of his tunic, spun him around, and landed a swift punch to his nose. Startled and holding his nose, I watched as Timaeus was roughly grabbed and then pushed back until he smacked into the wall, and once again he was faced with another punch, this one to the jaw.

"You shouldn't be here," the Pharaoh said darkly. "I won't let you ruin this!" and his long fingers wrapped themselves around Timaeus's pale throat.

Timaeus stared into those red eyes of the Pharaoh, but the Pharaoh just smiled wickedly. Choking Timaeus with his left hand and the other hand holding the dagger, he didn't wait any longer to let my other-self say another word. Feeling sick, my own back pressed against the wall, I snapped my eyes shut as the Pharaoh brought the knife down, a cry ringing through the room. And then, there was quiet.

The quiet weighed down heavily on the room with adrenaline and fear mixed into it, and after a moment of not hearing anything, I cautiously opened my eyes to see a low, mud-dried ceiling unlike the high, painted one I had seen in my dream. Sweat soaked my skin, and my heart pounded loudly against my chest as I stared up at it, and feeling someone's gaze on me, I turned my head to see Merimose sitting up in his cot, looking at me worriedly. As soon as our eyes met however, he looked away and threw the sheets off, promptly leaving me alone in the room.

I sighed deeply as I sat up, one leg hanging off the cot and the other folded towards me. My eyes fell to my hands in my lap, and I could still vividly remember seeing these same hands reaching up to stop the Nameless Pharaoh, my voice speaking to him, and then his knife. Is he the one who killed me? Was my fate to die at his hands? Shadi did say that I would eventually die in this world and then be transported back to the future… but why? How? I continued to stare at my hands. I'm supposed to save the Nameless Pharaoh, but it seemed that he was just going to kill me. Was he successful? I didn't see him stab my other-self, but… how can I save a person who apparently wants me dead? Why would I even do such a thing?

" _You shouldn't be here. I won't let you ruin this!"_

I couldn't help but wonder about the words that left the Pharaoh's mouth. Ruin what? What was I, Timaeus, going to ruin? I looked up to allow my eyes to wander across the bare room. Even though he tried to kill my other-self, Timaeus was calm. He tried to get him to stop. Shadi said that my past-self was close with the Nameless Pharaoh, and that my other-self knew some things that I don't know or can't remember yet. Was that why he was so calm and spoke so carefully? Was it because of what he knew that caused him to react in such a way? Groaning, I brought a hand to my face and wiped the sweat away from my upper lip and forehead. I just didn't know what to make of all this. It was confusing. What do I pay attention to? How do I figure it all out?

Pushing away the sheets, I got off the bed. Like Shadi told me last night in my… soul room, I should just let it all play out on its own. I can't change anything so I might as well just accept what was coming whether or not it was real or fake. I would just have to deal and follow my gut when that time arise.

I was just about to leave the room when I stopped, suddenly remembering the family I was living with. I was already such a bother. No need to have them clean up after me as well. Besides, doing something productive instead of standing around clueless usually eased my mind. Picking up the linen, I shook it out and quickly folded it before leaving it at the edge of the cot. Looking over the room once more and noticing Merimose's cot, sheets disarray, I resisted the urge to fold those as well just for the sake of it. It would be odd to clean up after him, and he was already fearful of me being around. Now need for him to believe that I'm weird as well. Leaving it alone, I clenched my teeth together and just left the room.

As I entered the living area, I was met with the entire family who was already awake. Ramose was sitting on the mat eating with Merimose infront of him who was slightly wet. The boy's face was splashed with water and I watched as he used his hands to wipe the droplets away. He was conversing quietly with his father, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was about me. Was I lashing out in my sleep? Was that why he was looking at me worriedly? Shaking the paranoid thoughts out of my head, I looked on as the two shared a plate filled with bread and fruits before sparing a glance to the kitchen to see Ramose's wife crouched down on the floor, kneading what seemed to be flour. As soon as they woke up, it was time to work. It made me feel sad for them since in the future my life was quite simple compared to this. But, this was the past, something that I had to keep on reminding myself. Life was very different.

"Timaeus." I didn't pay any attention as he called my false name, but then reality hit home again and quickly I turned towards him, my eyes still wide with surprise. Seeming more refreshed after a good night's sleep, he gestured towards the washroom, not taking any interest in my delayed response. "You can wash your face in there before eating," he told me, and nodding I stepped into the washroom to see a new bowl filled with water on the ground. I kneeled down and washed my face, the cold water certainly waking me up. But, there were no toothbrushes, or toothpastes of any kind. Sure, they had toothbrushes made from figs and such, but there was no way I was going to use that. And now that I was sitting down like this, I realised something. I needed to go. Sighing, I just washed my mouth and used my fingers to clean to some degree before standing. I guess I would just have to ask, but surely it would be outside.

Leaving the washroom I walked towards the mat and sat down, my legs crossing underneath me. I just watched as the father and son ate quietly, only to see Ramose look up and point towards the plate, his mouth full. Merimose, after seeing the look Ramose gave him, took a few more grapes and left to go help his mother.

"Take some," Ramose said, and wearily I reached into the bowl he pushed towards me and took a few grapes along with two dates. I know what the stiff, course bread had done to the Egyptians teeth, so there was no way I was going to have more of those. As I chewed silently, enjoying the quiet, I looked up once again when Ramose cleared his throat.

"What are your plans for the day? Did you come to Egypt for business, or for other reasons?" he asked, and immediately I decided to just stick with the story I had told Mana. I already said one lie, and I wasn't going to make it two any time soon. I paused to think for a moment before finally answering.

"I came here for travelling purposes." I gulped, trying to gather as much information I knew about Athens before continuing. "Since my studies have been completed in Athens, I decided to take some time off to travel and, learn new things." Ramose nodded, drinking some water out of his cup just as Senisonbe brought mine. I thanked her silently as Ramose went on.

"Did you leave a family back at home?" he asked me, and my eyes widened. He assumed that I was married and had kids! Resisting the urge to react, I took a deep breath before shaking my head.

"No, afraid not."

Ramose handed Senisonbe his own cup before standing. He glanced at me and shrugged. "Life is different, there," he said, and unable to think of a proper response, I just nodded mutely.

"Father, let's go," I then heard Merimose call from the doorway. He was holding a spear and a few other farming materials in his hand, along with a jug. As Merimose held the door open, my eyes widened to see that it was still dark outside, the sky a dark blue colour, the sun on its way to grace Egypt's sky. Ramose coughed and nodded towards him.

"Alright," he said, and then he turned towards me as I got to my feet. "I am going to work. I have a farm to tend to." He then stopped and began to stare at me intently, our eyes locked on each other. "You can wander the village if you like, or you can come with me," and from his tone, I understood that those were my only two choices. There was no way he was going to leave me alone with his wife at home.

"Um, I'll just wander the village," I said. I needed to get a feel of this village. I had no idea about the place I would be living in for who knows how long, so I might as well look around and become familiar with my surroundings. "I can learn more about the village if I look around," I explained further, and Ramose nodded, looking satisfied with my answer.

I watched as Merimose slipped through the door, Ramose holding the door open for me to leave as well. Stepping out of the doorway, my feet touched sand, and Ramose stepped around me after locking the door. It was cool, but with the impending sun, I knew it wasn't going to stay cool for long. I looked up as Merimose walked alongside his father, the two heading to the back of the house. Curious, I followed them only to stop and stare at the patch of farmland that say behind the home. Green could already be seen shooting out from the earth.

"We need more water," I heard Merimose mumble from the distance, and a few clanks of jars later, Ramose began to head out with a hum, no doubt towards the Nile. Merimose followed, and just when I looked away, I caught Merimose looking at me. Our eyes met, and just as quickly as they did, he turned away, pretending he had never seen me. I sighed, watching as they got farther and farther. And just like that I was left on my own.

Turning around, I stared at the village that laid before me. More rows of mud-built houses sat side by side each other, each one a different style and shape to suit the builder, and most with a patch of farmland behind their homes. There weren't many people out, walking down the sandy road. Only a few men were seen pushing their shop carts towards their designated areas with the help of their donkey's, and because of how quiet the early morning was, I could even hear the clacks of bowls and buckets in the homes. One by one I then spotted fathers and sons making their way out of their homes to begin their chores. The women were no doubt still inside with their younger children who were still not up, along with preparing meals for the day before doing their other duties. As a soft breeze blew past, I looked down the road to see two men talking to each other from one side of the street to the next, the outline of their body the only thing seen with faint details of their clothes because of the darkness. However, with the tint of orange in the far distance, I knew it wouldn't be long until the glob of fire burned down on the village.

I breathed deeply, inhaling the foreign, but yet familiar, scent of animals and wood. I had all day to do whatever I wanted, and knowing that rested my mind greatly, but I would have to return to spend some time with the family I just intruded on. I needed to feel comfortable with them instead of being left to feel so alienated. I'd hate to think that I was a bother to them.

Sighing, I began to walk towards the right, trying my best to ignore the feeling of the gritty sand between my toes. As I looked around I could faintly remember the places Mana and I had passed by last night while she brought me to Ramose's home. We walked along a Main Street before turning into a smaller street which went deeper into the village. And the more I walked, the chatter level increased, a sign that I was nearing the Main Street where villagers set up their shops. A few more moments, and I was standing at the edge. It was just like I remembered it, but this time a bit more deserted. There was a clearing right in the middle of the much wider street, no doubt a place where official statements were read to the people from the palace. It was right there where Priest Set had stood as well. Remembering him, I shuddered.

There were more people in this part of the village, everyone busy with setting up their stalls to begin the new day. No one paid any attention to me, but I knew that as soon as the sun was high enough, their eyes would naturally be drawn. I looked around for some time, leaning against a wooden post that held a shed roof up, and quietly with my arms wrapped around my body I watched as the sun raised. The sun slowly decorated the horizon, the sky getting brighter. It wasn't strange to me, but I was still surprised to think and realise that the very same sunrise that I saw at home five thousand years into the future is the exact same one the Ancient Egyptians see every day, just like the people in the future. And it wasn't only the Egyptians. So did the Greeks, the Mayans; all of the people that lived such a long time ago saw the same thing and will most definitely continue to see the same sun, moon, the sky. No wonder the Ancient Egyptians worshipped all of those things. It was fascinating.

I stood there, watching the sunrise until a soft, yellow glow enveloped the village. The sun though, at the moment was hidden behind the palace that loomed over the place, casting a big shadow. It was far away, the entrance probably farther down the main road and then surrounded by a ton of guards. And now that the thought of the palace crossed my mind, how in the world was I to get in there? How was I going to meet the Nameless Pharaoh? I shook my head, trying not to let myself worry about those things. It will happen as it should. I just have to go along with life and it'll take me to him.

I didn't want to stick around the Main Street for too long. More people were scattered around, and the stares were becoming unnerving as they saw me just standing idly around. Making up my mind, I began to walk across the Main Street towards a smaller street which I could see hidden between two tall shops of some sort. From the looks of it, it seemed to be a cavern, most likely one filled with beer for the men without a family to get drunk off of all night. Walking past it, I made a mental note anyways. The village was no doubt like a maze, so I needed to map out as much as I can so I didn't get lost.

The more I walked the more I saw. Children now escaped their homes to go out and play in the morning sun, along with mothers who had little bags at their sides to start shopping for some ornaments or whatever it was that they needed. And just like I predicted, as I walked along the street, glances were given and way was made so that no one bumped into me. It was saddening to see them all look away as soon as I made eye contact with them, and to see them just ignore my presence. Again though, it was understandable. I was, to them, a Greek. And frankly I hadn't seen another Greek ever since I got here. Surely there were more, but where?

The street I was walking upon soon became larger, and as I looked around I noticed a large opening between the homes which made two curves around the area before the street continued on. It was similar to the one on the Main Street, but a bit smaller. I stopped and watched a group of boys who were clustered together in the middle of the area. There were seven of them, each in shendyts and all looking around the ages of seven years old and below. They seemed to be arguing about something quite heatedly, a frown on all of their lips.

"You can't play!" one boy, the older looking one, shouted to another boy, and the boy he shouted to immediately yelled back at him, a finger raising.

"I want to play. I sat out last time so someone else has to sit out now!"

"He should sit out!"

"No!" And like that the yells and shouts jumped back and forth between the boys.

I kept watching, still unsure of what their argument was about. But so far, it had to do with something about their game. Looking closer I noticed the long, palm tree branches that were held in their hands and dragged on the sand, the bent ends drawing lines in the dust. And on the ground, laying a short distance away was a papyrus-made ball, torn up and battered, but still useable. I grinned to myself, understanding the game the boys were, or planned on, playing. It was the ancient version of what we in the future called Floor Hockey. The boys would split themselves up into teams, the ball was their puck, and the palm tree branches were used as the hockey stick. I bit my lip with glee, excited to see how they would play. However, their argument didn't seem to have an end.

I looked around only to purse my lips together when I saw no adults in sight to help them solve the problem they were having. And again, they were just young boys. One of them looked to be only five years old. I watched anxiously as the shouts raised, and in a short moment the youngest boy of them all was pushed out, everyone grabbing a palm branch and hurriedly taking their places.

"I want to play!" the little boy shouted at them, but he was ignored by everyone except one who decided to just stick his tongue out at him.

The boys started their game. Two players went up to the middle, the ball was thrown between them, and with a count of three, they begun, the ball being hit and sent flying to the other team's "field". While I eyed the game, I kept most of my attention on the little boy. He stepped away from the game having realised they weren't going to let him play, and with a frown he walked over to a bench that was on the side and just plopped down, his small palm branch being held before him on the ground. He didn't watch the game. He stared at the palm branch and moped silently to himself, and I could see his reddened eyes and puffy cheeks as he forced himself with all his might to stop himself from crying. Pouting, he looked up at the boys and scratched the side of his temple agitatedly. The urge to cry was still there on his features.

At this point, I just didn't know what to do. The boy reminded me so much of my younger self, the one who was bullied and teased for my height, weaknesses such as sports and other athletic things I wasn't good at during that time, and because I sat by myself and had no friends. Each day I would sit like that boy all alone, feeling sorry for myself. That is, until someone finally spoke to me without pity. I sighed, pressing my lips together. I so badly wanted to go over and talk to him, but what if I just ended up chasing him away? But, what if this was the moment when he needed someone to listen? Back and forth I threw the thoughts around. Shadi said I should just do what I usually would. Follow my heart and it'll lead me to my destination. And frankly, right now my heart was telling me to speak to him.

Making up my mind, I stepped forward and walked towards the little boy, my heart hammering away in my chest the closer I got to him. His short, brown locks of hair was matted against his head, and that tiny nose of his sniffled, his dark brown eyes filling up with tears before they were cast down to his lap. Gathering courage, I stopped behind him.

"Hi. Is it okay for me to sit here?" I asked cheerfully, and I resisted the urge to cringe when the boy jumped, his eyes widening as he spun around to take a look at me. He stared at me with unblinking eyes for a moment, but I stood patiently, waiting to hear or see his response. My smile got bigger when I saw him nod slowly before shifting over. "Thank you," I said as I sat down, and with my hands in my lap, I gave the boy a look. His eyes were now locked on the game, trying his best to ignore me as much as possible.

"Are you alright?" I asked, choosing my words carefully so that he would be able to understand, but he looked over at me and looked away. I sighed, but continued. "I saw you crying. What's wrong?"

"I wasn't crying," the boy said quickly, and as he spoke he shot me a glare. A smile escaped and made its way to my face at the defensive, but oddly cute tone.

"Really? Your eyes were a bit red," I said quietly, and seeing the embarrassed look cross his face, I watched as he twisted his lips and looked at me sternly.

"Who are you?" he asked boldly. Gulping before I spoke, I answered.

"My name is, Yu-" I froze to correct myself. "Timaeus. My name is Timaeus."

"What are you doing here?" he questioned. "I haven't seen you here before," and at that I nodded, a bit surprised by the boy's strong attitude. I guess I was too quick to judge his nature. But, I answered him anyways.

"I'm new in the village. I'm here all the way from Greece to learn about Egypt," I explained, and at that he seemed less cold and more interested.

"Really?" he asked, and I nodded. I watched as his eyes went back to the game, the small frown returning when one team scored a goal. I watched silently too, the similarities of the past and present versions of the game too strong to think otherwise.

"They never let me play," he said suddenly, and I looked towards the boy to see his chin resting on his hands which were at the end of the palm tree branch. "They always have to have even number of players, and I sit out all the time because I'm the smallest." He sighed. "It's not fair." I nodded, but remained silent. I'm just glad that he was talking and telling me what was on his mind. It showed that he trusted me, to some extent.

"Khamet!" a woman then shouted from the doorway of one of the houses behind us. The little boy looked at her, and it was my turn to look away when she made eye contact and shot me a dark glare.

"Yes, mama!" the boy who I now knew was named Khamet, answered. I didn't hear her say another word, but from the way Khamet's face scrunched up, I knew that it meant he had to go. He stood up and looked at me.

"Bye," I said, and without saying another word, Khamet turned and walked away, his palm tree branch dragging across the sand as he pulled it along behind him.

Looking back at the game, I grinned when one team whooped loudly for joy while the other team scowled, their branches thrown to the ground. I chuckled and stood, and it was then when I noticed the sun was shining down hotly on the village. I was sweating, and the second my feet touched the sand, I yelped and just sat back down. How was I supposed to get to Ramose's home? I watched the other boys who ran across the ground, barefoot as well without yelling. They were obviously used to it though, but me? Steeling myself, I stood up and ran to the nearest shady spot where the sun didn't burn to crisps. Rubbing my feet against my legs, I looked up at the boys once again. I was supposed to head back home now. I looked up to the sky, and then down the street. What was I going to do? As I looked around for the other nearest shady spot, I grinned when I spotted a canopy. And just when I was about to speed walk towards it, I was frozen to where I stood because from the corner of my eyes I saw icy, cold blue one staring directly at me.

* * *

 **Oh my gosh, the end of the chapter. Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick with worry. -.- The struggles I had when writing this chapter? Well let's just say that I had no idea where I was going with it. All I knew was that this chapter Yugi was going to explore the village, and that's it. But I added in that little bit with the boys because I didn't want it to be too boring to have him just describe things for half the chapter, right? I don't know. Should I have had Yugi say nothing and do nothing, or was that scene okay? How can I make it better? Oh, and how did you all find the vision in the beginning? Tell me what you think!**

 **Review please. Thank you for reading and being so patient with me.**

 **Bye~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, my lovely readers! Sorry that it took so long to get the next chapter out. I was stuck in a writer's block, but now I'm out of it! For now. I haven't had the opportunity to thank all of you individually, through PM's, so I will do so here. Thank you, all of you, for your wonderful reviews. This story is growing fabulously, and I am very proud to see how far we've gotten. However, there is still a long way to go. We've only hit quarter of this story so far.**

 **I also feel a bit bad. You're all waiting for Yugi to meet Atem, and by delaying their meeting with details and thoughts without getting straight to each event quickly, I understand how it can be a pain. I don't know if this will make things better, probably worse, but I can tell you in which chapter they will meet. They will meet in Chapter 18. Yes, as soon as the chapter starts Yugi is standing before Atem. It's what I have planned so far, and the suspense has become irritating, I get it. But I do hope you remain patient with me. Your support means everything. I apologise for the delays, and I thank all of you for reading.**

 **REVIEW~**

 **i – Thank you for the review last chapter. I'm glad it was better than the others (from what I can tell). I haven't made any changes, yet, to chapter 11, as you mentioned some amelioration is needed, but one thing is for sure though, I have to go through all of the chapters again. When reading through the previous chapters, I find these odd, tiny mistakes that are driving me crazy! Anyways, thank you for all the time and thought you put in with guiding me as the story goes on. It really means so much. I hope you like this chapter.**

 **Enjoy everyone~**

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Secrets Underground

Chapter 12

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With my heart suddenly hammering away in my chest, my eyes quickly flicked back over to the spot where I saw those cold, blue irises hidden behind a large, white canopy of one of the stalls. The sun made me see bright lights everywhere I looked, so I squinted to see if the person I had seen was indeed there, but unfortunately, or fortunately, I couldn't. Whoever was there was now long gone behind the rushing and bustling of the villagers who had grew notably in the few hours since I had been out. And as my burning feet reminded me as to how hot the sun was, my body kicked right back into action and I jogged towards the covering for some shade. I couldn't help but scan the crowd once more though, just to ease my soul that had become restless with anxiety. Maybe I hadn't seen Priest Set eyeing me, and it was just my mind playing tricks on me, the boiling hot sun finally taking its toll. That had to be it, right? Because if it had been Set that I saw, surely he would have an army of guards lined up behind him. I frowned, another question appearing in my head. Why would he be so interested in me? Was it because I looked a lot like the Prince, like Mana had told me? I sure hope it was just that and not because of something else, like them thinking I'm here to replace the Prince or something.

Standing under the shade now, breathing a bit heavily from my quick jog, I tried trying quench my dry mouth with my equally parched tongue as I rubbed my sandy feet against my bare legs and looked around to see how in the world I was going to return to Ramose's house. It was only an hour or two away from noon, and Ramose had told me to take as much time as I liked, but with the sun being too hot for my liking and my mission weighing heavily down on my mind, sightseeing all day didn't seem too great. There was too much for me to worry about, so I couldn't afford to let myself have too much fun else I forget what I came here to do.

As I looked around, down the street that I had come through earlier, pushing the anxiety-building thoughts to the back of my mind for the moment, it didn't take me long to pinpoint the cavern that I had passed on my way to this part of the village through the crowd of people that walked down the street. Just at the end of the path, I noticed that the cavern had quite a few men loitering by the door, and peering down the street even further, I quickly made out the main street, the large amount of people walking about too clear to miss. And, if my memory was as sharp as Grandpa would say it was, then just on the opposite side of the road, Ramose's home was only a few houses down the narrow walkway.

Pleased, a small grin broke out on my face. I wasn't going to get lost after all. Deciding I shouldn't stick around any longer than I had to, I wiped the sweat away from my upper lip and began to walk down the road, dodging the people that moved quickly around me. As sweat rolled down my back, the heat a bit too much to bare and was starting to make me very uncomfortable, I tried to remained calm, even when some of the villagers dropped to their knees unsurely before me, their eyes widening as soon as they saw me, before eventually scurrying away. My mind scrambled for an explanation, only to halt, a slightly annoyed look crossing my face for a second or two. Of course. They thought that I was the Prince! How could that possibly not cause problems for me in the future?

I sighed, shoving down the urge to throw my arms up in the air because of my luck, and instead walked quicker, trying to ignore the odd stares that some showed. It was very strange to walk around Ancient Egypt like this. It still felt so surreal. However, despite my reasons for being here, I had to admit that it was nice. Wandering down the street and just smelling the aromas that seemed familiar, but very different. The rank of fish, the sounds of meat being chopped with a course knife, the smell of spices and the slight crackle of the small flame under the pots…

Looking down at my dusty feet, my hand pulling at my shendyt that kept rising up as I walked, I couldn't help but get pulled in by the thought that had been dancing around my mind ever since I came here. What exactly had happened to me in my regular time era? I was trapped in that tomb before I was transported here, and it had only been a day since I've arrived in Ancient Egypt, so surely the crew was well on their way into rescuing me. They'll be worried though when they open the tomb up and I'm not in there though. Especially Grandpa. He was injured when the tomb collapsed. As that piece of information made a reappearance in my mind, I gulped, worried. Was Grandpa injured very badly? There was a lot of blood coming out from his leg when I last saw him. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself. He would be fine. He had Professor Arthur with him and the crew who would take good care of him.

I slowed as I reached the main street before eventually coming to a standstill. The sun was hitting me at a different angle now that the houses weren't protecting me from its rays, so I found my right eye squinting as I took a look around. Easily, through the people that walked up and down the road, their arms holding woven baskets, I was able to make out the somewhat familiar path with the sharp curve that went deeper into the village. Letting out a breath that I had been holding, perhaps due to the heat, I started walking, being careful to stay out of other people's way as they moved quickly. I looked towards the street, and peering all the way to the end of it I could just imagine the road thinning out after you passed the turn, and eventually it will end when it reached the old, abandoned medicine hut…

How did I know that?!

Stopping in the middle of the road, I stared at the ground, dumbfounded. How did I know there was a medicine shop there? I looked up, scanning the crowd for Shadi to explain that to me even though I knew he wasn't going to be anywhere around. Was it another memory about my past life making a slow appearance? Conflicted and very much confused, I started to walk again as my mind tried to refocus back on to the task at hand. It was hard. Maybe I would have to pay a visit to that abandoned medicine shed, just to make sure that I wasn't losing my mind. But, what if it was actually there? Then, that would really back up Shadi's claims of me being from this time. Yes, I didn't believe what he said about me wholeheartedly, but I was ready to accept it to get out of this time period because that much was true.

With my legs itching from the sand, I glanced around myself a bit, hearing the small tinkling of beads and the scrapes of pots that were like music to my ears. The sounds of this busy marketplace reminded me a bit like home, during those times when I would walk through the flea market with Grandpa excitedly by my side, scrounging around for history books and strange objects to add to our "odd" collection that we had at home. The language of these people also started to fill me with a weird sense of warmth since I was able to understand their every word. If I closed my eyes, I could barely detect the difference between the places which were so drastically different.

During the few seconds I closed my eyes, I truly did listen to the words and sounds that flew around me in my moment of tranquility. There was laughter, an aura of happiness radiating from everyone, and excitement that bubbled over, the atmosphere piquing my interest. Bringing myself back to reality because of it, I took a look around and couldn't help but notice the ornaments, jewellery and food that was being bought in bundles by the people. That was definitely unusual. It looked as if they were all preparing for something. A celebration of some sort. That would explain the high dose of excitement. Fully interested, I couldn't help but listen in on the few words of conversations I passed to try to figure out what was going on.

"Niyab, come here! Your dress…"

"I'm making a wonderful supper for…"

"Mama, Mama, can I get that…"

"… and with the festival approaching, I'll need new…"

So that's what was going on! I took another look around me, the smiles on the people, even though their bodies were tired out, making me happy. They were preparing for a celebration! But, what festival? I took a look up at the palace that loomed far ahead, still standing proud and tall over the village, power radiating from the structure alone. For this time of the year, there shouldn't be any festivals happening. Not one as big as this seemed to be anyways. Then, what was it? As I neared Ramose's house, my mouth twisted in slight confusion. Surely Ramose would know, or atleast mention about it. I could ask him.

Entering Ramose's lot, I immediately noticed that the front door was closed. What should I do then? Knock? Go in? But, that would be rude. As I stood in front of the door, contemplating, Ramose's loud voice caught my attention and I turned my head towards the sound. It was coming from the back of the house.

"Merimose! Get the hoe and dig up that end. I'll tie this up."

"Okay," I heard Merimose answer, and it was all quiet again except for the moos of cows and sound of dirt being dug up from the earth.

Without hesitating, I began walking towards the back. It must have slipped my mind that Ramose was working in the field. Here I was about to get worried because I thought I was locked out until someone came home. Shaking the top part of my tunic as I walked towards the back of the house, the slight breeze airing out my damp chest, I turned and made my way past the big bunch of wheat that was tied up with cloth into bundles, and left by the side of the house. They were small bales, not large ones like the ones in my time period. Stopping to gaze at them, it seemed as if they were preparing them to be shipped somewhere, somewhere like the palace… Right. How could I have forgotten that Ramose's family were the ones who helped in providing food for the higher ups as well?

"Timaeus, you've returned," Ramose suddenly said, and my head snapped up to see him looking at me as he wiped his dirt-filled hands on a rag before tossing it on the ground in a corner when he was done. His skin was layered with sweat and grime, and his chest heaved up and down as he stood there. "I hope you had a good walk," he continued, and I stepped forward until I was at a better speaking distance with him.

"Err, yes, I did. The village is quite wonderful," I replied with a small smile before my eyes glanced away from him for a split second and towards the field. I looked away, only to turn back to the wheat field they had made with astonishment and interest. It was… amazing! Long grains of wheat sprouted from the mud that was thoroughly soaked with water, the soft wind causing the wheat to sway, and from the looks of it, they were getting ready to dig some more. Merimose was silent as ever, fetching the hoe as he walked towards the unplanted section of the field to do what Ramose had told him. It was true, I realised. The hoes used during this time period was very different. For one, it was much shorter, just about the size of a person's forearm. It was wooden as well, a wooden blade connected to it that was unable to move once it had been set in place. And to hold it all together was a small piece of rope. The tool was small, so it required the person using it to bend down and work which would cause a great strain to their back. I looked on as Merimose dug vigilantly, the aches and pain of the job still waiting to come and wreak havoc on his form as he got older.

"There is a lot of other work to be done," Ramose mumbled to himself, probably noticing that I was staring, and I turned back to him to see him eyeing the other tools that were spread out on the ground. Sickles, knives, grain scoops, and a few wooden ploughs that they would put on their cattle to help dig the soil were seen.

"Is there a festival approaching?" I asked, and at my question Ramose turned to look at me with wide, surprised eyes. I bit my tongue. Did I say something wrong? Was I being too intrusive?

"Ah, yes, there is. How did you know?" he asked, and from the corner of my eyes I noticed that Merimose had turned back to give us a quick glance, probably hearing my question as well.

"As I was walking through the village, I heard people talking about preparations for a festival." I had to answer honestly. There was nothing to suspect about me if he tried, that being said because it wasn't that hard to tell that the man didn't fully trust me, even though Mana was the one who brought me to him. "I was just wondering, since I didn't realise there was one approaching," I explained further.

Ramose was quiet, mulling my answer over in his head, and as he did that, I mentally sighed and turned back to look at Merimose who was now conversing with one of the many workers who helped on the farm. In the boy's hand was a knife, a sharp looking one at that too which he was fidgeting with, and from my experiences, fidgeting was a sign of nervousness, especially once I hit university and had to involve myself with more people. Perhaps it was the same deal with Merimose. The boy must have started helping his father only recently, and from the way he refused to meet the eyes of the older boy's as he spoke, it was clear that he was still a bit shy.

The knife however continued to glimmer in the sun, its light bouncing on to the ground and on to other things with the way Merimose moved. I watched as the little dot of light travelled across the ground and the walls of the house, disinterested, when Ramose went off to speak to an elderly looking man who had arrived. The breeze was nice back here, and that eased me a bit, so I found myself aimlessly following the dot, my thoughts empty for once. I got unnerved though when the dot started interfering with the eyes of a mean looking cow that two of the boys were using to plow the ground, and with a deep moo, the cow stepped back and started moving away, its head turning towards Merimose and the glowing dot of light only to turn it back when it reached its eye again.

"Hey there," one of the boy said carefully, and he pushed the cow back, holding it as it tried to move. He looked up at the other boy who was holding the rope, the one who led the cow where it needed to go. "Keep it stiff, tighter," he warned, and the other boy nodded, his grip tightening.

The brown coloured cow, darkened with mud, kept turning his head back towards the source of the light, and even I could tell that it was getting quite angry. Its hooves were digging into the mud now, refusing to move when the boys pulled, and soon it started taking steps towards Merimose who was still speaking to those other boys, unaware of the bother he was innocently creating. The two boys with the cow though were clenching their teeth, their control over it clearly wavering. They were pushing the cow, trying to keep it where it was and desperately trying to distract it from whatever got it so bothered. They didn't notice the light. My heart thudded, and I looked towards Merimose fearfully as the cow took two, strong steps forward, pushing the boy away, forcing him to grab on to the rope and pulling with the other boy. That kept it still, for only a few seconds because the cow gave a big tug, the rope wrenched away from the hands of the two boys.

"Hey, watch out!" one of the boys yelled, and I found myself stepping forward with wide, fearful eyes as the cow took two steps forward towards Merimose, and charge, his head lowered to put its big horns in the path it was going in to destroy its enemy.

"Merimose! Look out!" I found myself shouting when the boy didn't hear the first call, and when he looked at me, my instincts kicked in, going with the feeling in my gut that was telling me he wasn't going to be able to move in time. Without hesitating I dashed across the sand and into the field to push the boy out of the way who cried out in surprise as my body made an impact with his. In seconds I found myself on the ground with the boy held tightly in my arms, and as I looked up at him through squinted eyes, I saw him looking down at me fearfully before glancing around, no doubt in search for Ramose. I could feel his heart pounding against mine as I slowly sat up with him on my lap, and I too looked around for that cow, only to let out a small sigh of relief when two men blocked its path, grabbing the rope and pulling it in the other direction. I looked away from them when I saw Ramose running towards us with huge, worried eyes.

"Merimose, are you alright?!" he asked, and slowly the boy nodded and got to his feet as Ramose held him by the waist. With the boy off of me, I too got up and flinched when I felt the mud that was now caked on to the back side of my body.

"Thank you so much," Ramose said as he patted Merimose down, the instinct of a parent kicking in to see if their child was alright. "My son would have been badly injured if you hadn't went to his aid. How could I ever repay you for what you've just done?"

"There's no need," I replied, smiling through the icky feeling of the mud that was quickly getting on my nerves. The sun wasn't helping, and the wind died down the second I moved. "I'm just glad that I was able to realise what was going to happen and push him out of the way in time."

Ramose nodded, his face holding utmost sincerity as he stared at me, only to look away and cast a glance towards the cow that now required three men to haul and tie down to the side of the house. Hoof marks were seen through the sand and mud, and as I eyed the tracks, Ramose's voice made me turn back towards him. I had to squint to look at him since the sun was now directly above our heads and practically blinding us since we were so out in the open.

"The animals can be uncontrollable at times," he said. "They cause more work and many of our crops are lost because of them. And with the festival so close… we can't afford to lose any more..."

I remained quiet as he spoke, listening attentively. Through my studies, I learned that being a farmer in Egypt wasn't so easy. Besides, from what I've just witnessed, even though it was just a tiny piece, it was clearly a tough life a person had to live, given their limited set of tools and lack of machinery that made farming in the future a lot easier. Farmers, which many of the people in Egypt were, would work through the day in the field and then through the night where they would make their ropes and tools in preparation for the next day. And many times, farmer's would wake up to find their field broken due to animals trampling and eating everything they had planted, their tools stolen by thieves, and the dangerous creatures that lurked in the sand and mud just waiting to pounce.

"If you don't mind me asking… What festival is coming?" I looked back at him as I slowly inched farther away from between the crops and closer to the house where I would be able to get some shade. Having him bring up the festival reminded me that I still didn't know what the upcoming celebration was for. Seeing me walk away to stand under the shade, he too followed me closer to the house where we could talk and sweat less.

"The Sed festival," he said, his mind still a bit far away even after he had sent Merimose in search of his mother to assist instead. I however, my heart leaped up back to my throat this time with excitement.

"The Sed festival!" I exclaimed, and Ramose nodded.

"I believe you know of this celebration?"

"Of course," I answered. "It's one of the things I learned before coming to Egypt. It marks the number of years the Pharaoh had been in power, and celebrates the other years of his rule to come."

Ramose smiled, nodding in agreement, holding his arms behind himself as he gazed out at the field once more. "That's right. This will be the first time that we are celebrating Pharaoh Aknamkanon's Sed celebration. It has to be the best, and it will."

I clasped my hands together in front of me, the smile refusing the leave my face. This was Pharaoh Aknamkanon's first Sed festival, so that meant his thirty years of rule was just around the corner. Like many of the Pharaoh's in the past, the Sed festival was celebrated after a ruler had held the throne for thirty years, and then it would be celebrated every three years with hopes of revitalising the pharaoh's strength and energy while they still held the throne. It was a way to celebrate the success of the Pharaoh, and they would do that by holding the honorary jubilee. Temple rituals will be done followed by processions, offerings, and other religious devotion as the ceremonial raising of a symbol that represented strength. It was really something that I would love to see, but at the moment I didn't know whether me being trapped in this time period was a curse, or a blessing.

"I don't know how I will ever get this all done," I heard Ramose go on, and I watched as he put a hand to his forehead to wipe away the sheen of sweat. "Tomorrow I have to go to the palace to see what vegetables are remaining and what other things we will need. I can't afford to have things fall even farther behind schedule."

"Um… If you don't mind," I began, looking around the field that clearly needed all the help that it could get, "I could help you."

Ramose's eyes widened. "No. Of course not. You are my guest and I will not allow you to work. For today you've done more than you should, so just sit down and I can get one of the boy's to give you some food and something to drink… you just relax. And if you want, we will fill another pot for you to clean yourself off. I'll get you another tunic-"

"No, I insist," I said again. "I would really like to help you." It would be boring to just sit by myself, although, rinsing myself off didn't seem like such a bad idea. The slowly hardening mud on my skin made me like that idea a bit more, but in the end, I really meant what I said about helping them. I was here, so I should atleast help in all the ways I could.

"I refuse," Ramose said gravely, and I flinched at the tone and looked up at him. Never did he seem so tall to me until this moment. "You are my guest and so you will not work. I will get you some clothes, and you will clean yourself off. Please. It does not seem nice for you to work like this for me."

"Well, since I'm your guest, it will only feel right to me if I help. I'm new to this place and I've come here to learn as well as explore." I grinned seeing his surprise at my bold denial. "I have explored, now I want to learn. Please?"

"I appreciate you wanting to help, but this is my job, not yours. It is my responsibility to get everything ready for the festival," he explained seriously, and I frowned with disappointment as he ushered me towards the house.

"Can't I even help with something small? I will try my best and I won't let you down. Please," I continued to beg, and as Ramose opened the front door, he gave me a look. The wonderful look of defeat.

"Oh, alright," he said, and I grinned broadly. "If I need anything done, I will ask you. However, you will work with Merimose, okay?"

"Perfect!" I said, nodding in agreement with his condition, and I stepped into the house when he gestured for me to enter. "Thank you," and he nodded once, glancing at me before quickly walking into his room. I waited, my heart filled with excitement. I knew it was going to be difficult, but how many other archaeologists can say that they did chores like the Ancient Egyptians did? I was laughing to myself only to swallow the childish sounds down when Ramose came out with another set of clothes for me to wear. It was another white tunic, very similar to the one I was wearing now.

"Wait here. I will get some water," he explained, and he left, leaving me alone in the house. Smiling once more, I decided to take a seat on the mat only to remember that I was filthy, and Senisonbe wouldn't like it if she had to come home and clean up after me. So as that thought came in my head, it was tossed out. I remained standing, pacing slowly back and forth across the small living room.

Tomorrow Ramose was going to the palace. He would be going inside of the palace, and perhaps, he would also run into the Pharaoh. And possibly, the Pharaoh's son! This could be my chance to get in as well and meet with the Nameless Pharaoh. That was what I was supposed to do. I had to get into the palace, and so far, this was the only way that I could see. If I asked, I wonder if Ramose would allow me to tag along with him. It was a long shot, but I should atleast try, right? And, even if I don't get to meet him, I could also possibly catch a glimpse of him and be able to see the palace. It was a good plan, for now. And even if it wasn't, I was doing what I would do. It could be right or wrong, but I would never know unless I tried, right?

"Alright, here you go. This should be enough," Ramose said as he entered with the tall pot of water, and in mere seconds he had placed the pot inside of the bathroom.

"It's perfect. Thank you," I said, and he nodded as he made his way towards the door once again. As the door swung shut, I moved and stepped into the washroom, pulling the white curtain close. Putting my hand in the cold water, I took a deep breath. Hopefully, with every decision I made, my so called memories would be unlocked and everything would become clearer. I was getting quite tired of the uncertainties.

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 **And there we have it. The end of this chapter. I will be sure to get started to the next chapter ASAP, because making you all wait like this isn't something I like doing. Three months of wait will not happen again.**

 **And yes, not much goes on, but we are getting somewhere, right? Yugi has a shot at getting into the palace. I hope it wasn't too… slow as well. Yugi rescuing Merimose was supposed to be a start to developing some trust between him and the family, so I hope that was fine. I feel that there are repetitions, but I don't know where anymore because I read through this chapter so many times. I just wanted to get this update up. No need to delay things further because I'm delusional. Overall… I'm starting to feel as if I just… rushed… this entire chapter. Forgive me.**

 **Thank you for reading, and please leave a lovely review or constructive criticism.**

 **Bye~**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ahh, thank you all for the amazing reviews last chapter! I really do appreciate them. And, I know I keep saying this but, I really am sorry for updating so slowly. Writing this story is tough and it takes a while for me to get back into the 'zone' to write it. Really sorry. I will try harder next time. :) Also, I keep forgetting to reply to the reviews, so I will do anonymous ones here and I will message the rest of you the next day, for both chapters! Sorry!**

 **REVIEWS~**

 **i – Thank you for your wonderful words of wisdom. Of course, the things you said made sense, and I have fixed my errors and redid the scene with the cow. I think it's even better than before… xD And, I took off all of the unnecessary bits and pieces that didn't work out so well, or all that I found. You are very welcome to re-read it and tell me your thoughts. You are too kind. I hope you continue to have an interest with this fanfic as we move further along. :)**

 **Loverofhell – Of course I will be writing more chapters! It will take some time, but the story isn't complete yet. Thank you!**

 **FicReader – Yay! Happy to see a new reader and reviewer! My, your thoughts are wonderful to read. But, let me clear this up. There are no pairings in this story, so don't think that Yugi and the Pharaoh are going to hook up. xD. They will be close, but not THAT close. This is definitely very different, and the clichés are what I wanted to keep the story away from. So, I'm glad that my goal has been accomplished. I'm also glad that you find the pacing alright. Some likes it, some doesn't, but you know, that's how it is. Things should heat up when they finally meet (Ch. 18), but until then… As for the little bit about the present and the evil... Wait and see! :D Thank you so much for your words, and I'm glad that you're liking it so far. Thanks a lot!**

 **Meh – First and foremost, love the name. Hehe. And as for your question, no. There is no romance or yaoi. Sorry! But, I'm glad you're liking the story so far. Thank you! :)**

 **Okay, so… I looked over at all my author notes, and I was surprised to see that I actually didn't say it before. That, in this story, there is NO ROMANCE, NO YAOI, etc. Yeah, absolutely none. I should have made this clearer at the beginning. My bad~**

 **Enjoy!**

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Secrets Underground

Chapter 13

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As I laid on the cot with my arms folded under my head, I stared up at the ceiling, my eyes following the odd lines and cracks before my gaze eventually reached the edge where the walls met the roof. There were a few small holes in the angled creases, but none looked too severe that would cause a person to worry and fear if the house was going to come down on them. Besides, through those holes I could see the dark tint of blue that the sky made, a sign that told me the sun was nearing the horizon, ready to rise and wake the people of Egypt up from their night of slumber and to get started for the new day ahead. I sighed deeply, scratching my ankle with the nails of my toes as I turned towards Merimose who was sleeping soundly. A hand was under his head, the other laying comfortably beside him as he slept on his side, facing towards me. I looked back up to the ceiling, listening to the soft beat of my heart and his quiet breaths that were heard through the silence of the darkened room.

Last night I had turned in quite early after eating lunch, a few grapes and dates that didn't do much to fill my stomach that was so used to eating more, curling up after the shower in hopes of taking a quick nap. In the end I found myself, eighteen hours later, right here. Maybe I hadn't gotten enough sleep the other night as I thought I did. Oh well, atleast now I was wide awake, feeling more refreshed than I had felt for the past two days. And because of that, I found myself pondering over the things that had transpired yesterday.

The Sed Festival was all that ran through my mind as soon as Ramose told it to me. It was still so surreal, the thought of being able to witness a great Pharaoh's first Sed festival. Not to mention a great opportunity to, hopefully, see the Nameless Pharaoh, the one I was dragged through time to _help_. I sighed, my eyes slipping closed. Ramose was going to visit the palace today, stocking up on goods, or, that's what I believed he said he was going to be doing. In the end though he was going to enter the palace, and desperately I hoped that if I asked, he would take me with him. It was a long shot, not only because I wasn't sure the man fully trusted me as yet, but because I was a foreigner. I looked like a foreigner and surely the palace guards would berate me on where I'm from, who I am, what I'm doing there, etc. etc. etc. It was all too bothersome, but what can I do? I had to meet the Nameless Pharaoh somehow.

My eyes opened quickly when the sound of clay pots grinding against each other, and then the sound of wheat being ruffled reached my ears. Senisonbe was up already, so Ramose was going to wake up soon also. I took a deep breath to grab my courage that was slipping away. Yes, I should ask. I will ask him to go with. For now though I'll just continue to lay on the cot. Ramose wasn't up yet and I don't think he would appreciate me being out there alone with his wife. I would have to stay put.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I turned on to my right side and held the sheet close to my face. Feeling the slight breeze and hearing the comforting silence, I breathed deeply and exhaled. It was so weird… Pharaoh Aknamkanon was celebrating his first Sed Festival, but according to Shadi, I would be here until the Nameless Pharaoh _**became**_ Pharaoh. So, that meant King Aknamkanon would die soon. I was also going to be here to witness his death. Should I be happy that I was going to see the process, or sad? I sure did feel sad, and the heavy heart in my chest told me that. Pharaoh Aknamkanon was a great King, while his heir…

I never really got to finish my train of thought because once again, I had fallen asleep against my will.

I don't know how long I had been sleeping for this time because when I stepped out into the living area of the home, rubbing my eye, hurriedly scanning the place for any signs of Ramose, all I was met with was sun pouring in from the opened doorway, and the ever so quiet Merimose crouched down on the floor in the kitchen, packing away the wheat.

"Did Ramose leave for the palace already?" I asked him, but by then I could have already predicted his answer. Merimose glanced over at me, and after a while of studying me, he nodded twice.

I couldn't explain the disappointment I felt after that. I could hear my mental groan that echoed in my head, and after a moment of sulking, I gave up and turned towards the washroom, stepping in to wash my face and mouth off to the best of my ability. I just couldn't understand it. I slept for hours, and woke up ahead of schedule only to fall asleep again, missing my chance to go to the palace. Who does that?! How could that happen to me? Drying my hands off, my lips twisted into an annoyed frown, I stepped out again. As I looked around, quickly it became clear to me that it was just Merimose who was home. Ramose was obviously at the palace, and Senisonbe most likely went off to the merchants. It was just us now.

Walking over and taking a seat on the mat, crossing my legs, I looked up just in time to see Merimose put a plate of fruits infront of me before heading back into the kitchen, and that was when I noticed the cloth that was wrapped around his upper, left arm. Was that from yesterday? How come I didn't notice that he had gotten injured? It didn't look like it was bothering him too much, but I couldn't just let the kid do all of the work while I sat and ate.

"Do you need some help?" I asked quietly, watching as he crouched back down and continued to diligently pack the wheat into small bundles, perhaps preparing them to be turned into flour by his mother when she returned. However, Merimose shook his head at my offer and said nothing more. His silence made me sigh, and I looked down at the plate of fruits and a piece of bread with disinterest. When would the boy warm up to me? He barely says a word.

"Thank you."

My head snapped up to the kitchen when I heard the soft whisper, and I suddenly felt my heart pounding inside my chest with shock. I got goosebumps for unknown reasons, but I just stared at Merimose who turned away after the second-long glance. He spoke, okay, but why a thank you? As I stared at him for another moment, the answer dawned on me. Duh, it was because of yesterday. Smiling, I inhaled deeply and replied.

"It's alright," I said, the words struggling to come out of my mouth due to how nervous I was. "Is your arm okay?" I went on, and I noticed how loud the silence had become, excluding the grazes the wheat made with each other as Merimose unloosed them from their knots. He paused and gave another nod, and I relaxed visibly, allowing my eyes to drop back down to the plate.

" _Okay, so now we're getting somewhere,"_ I thought, and I slowly picked up a grape and popped it into my mouth. He was finally getting used to me, and at the moment nothing made me feel more relaxed. It was unnerving to have everyone be weary around me all the time.

Looking up at him, I watched as he stood and dusted his hands off on his tunic before leaving, walking into one of the rooms and leaving me alone. So, this was how it was going to be, huh? What was I going to do all day now? Explore again? I gazed at the opened door, and I could practically see the smoking rays of the sun burning everything it touched. No, I didn't want to go through that again any time soon. Then what? Stay inside all day?

"Timaeus, sir, um," and my head turned at the sound of Merimose's voice. I eyed him curiously as he walked out of Ramose's room, holding what seemed to be a small table. However, as he neared me, I watched in astonishment as he set the thing on the floor and turned back to me. "Sir, my father told me to keep you company if you had nothing to do. So, I was wondering if you would like to play a game."

He wanted me to play a game?

I sat there in shock, my eyes locked on the wooden, rectangular box that stood up with the help of four animal legs. Immediately, I knew what it was, and I felt as if I was floating on air. This was a very popular board game that was played amongst the Ancient Egyptians. We had found many of these board games in tombs, but not only in Ancient Egypt. The game was also found in Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Assyria. The rules of the game was lost through time, but some archaeologists stepped forward and proposed an idea as to how it was played. Grandpa and I spent a lot of time buying the new versions, and we would play for hours together. So right now, staring at the actual game board, I couldn't stop my fingers from reaching out to graze against the wood, feeling one of the fifty eight holes that surrounded the palm tree in the middle, starting from the top where the leaves were, down to the bottom of the board with the stump. I eyed it with hunger. It was gorgeous, better than I had expected it to look in its actual form.

"Do you want to play?" Merimose asked again, and I pulled my hand back to look up at him.

"Of course," I said quickly. "I love games, especially board games," I explained, and my eyes went back to look at it as Merimose pushed it closer to me so that it was directly between the two of us, him sitting on the other side.

"Have you heard of this game before?" he questioned, and as he pulled out the long pieces that were hidden away in a small drawer in the table, I nodded excitedly.

"Yes. It's called Dog's and Jackals. Quite a popular game in Egypt, I've learned," I answered, and Merimose nodded.

"Do you know how to play?"

At that question, I found myself biting my lip. Sure, I had an idea, but he was an actual Egyptian who grew up with the game. If I said something, and got it wrong, I would just look like a fool. Besides, we really didn't know how it was played exactly. We just assumed, so it would be terrific to learn the actual rules from Merimose.

"Um, I'm have an idea, but I'm not sure if it's correct. Can you explain it to me, just to see if I do understand?" I asked, and Merimose nodded yet again, crossing his legs to get more comfortable before explaining. I listened closely as he did.

"Alright, so, we both have five pieces," he started, and on the table he sat the ten pieces down and separated them into their groups. "Five pieces for the Jackals, and five pieces for the dogs." I watched intently. "Which one do you want to be?" he asked, and he looked up at me.

"It doesn't really matter," I answered, and he observed me hesitantly before sliding the Jackal pieces over, keeping the Dogs for himself. As he did, I gently picked up one of the pawns. It was a short stick, carved with the head of a Jackal, or a Dog. The same was for all of the others. Short sticks with the assigned head. Sometimes they were painted, but this one was simple, just a few colours to outline the palm tree and the holes, along with the numbers that were written next to the holes.

"Usually we put up a stake, but since we're playing for fun, I don't think we really need to bet on anything," Merimose clarified, and I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that's fine," and I put the piece that I had on the corner of the table and looked closely at the board game.

"Okay, so since the bottom of the board is on your side, and you know where the bottom is because it's the base of the palm tree, my side is your right, and your side is on you left. Okay? Your right side belongs to the Dogs, and the left is for the Jackals."

"Got it," I said, and I focused on the left side. So far, it seemed to be similar as to how we thought it was played.

"Alright, so how we play is that we both start at the top, at this brown circle at the top of the palm tree. See it?" he asked, and I looked up to gaze at the hole he was pointing at, right there in the middle of the top end. I nodded. "When we start to move, you start here and follow the numbers down on your side, and I will follow the numbers down on my side," he went on, and I nodded again.

"Okay," and I glanced up when Merimose let out a sigh before continuing.

"To win, our aim is to reach the top of the palm tree. Whoever can get their five pawns into the five holes at the top, numbers twenty five to twenty nine, wins the game. However," Merimose paused to give me a look, "You have to get the exact number of throws to reach those final positions."

"And what do we use to throw?" I asked, and at my question Merimose produced three, silver coins on to the board.

"We use these," he said, and he started to explain. "We throw the coins, and depending on what we get, that is by how much we'll move. For example, if you throw and get one head, you move one hole forward. If you get two heads, you move two holes forward. And if you get three heads, you move three holes forward. However, if you get three tails, you move five holes forward and you get an extra turn!"

"Oh, awesome," I said, and I cheered mentally. It _was_ very similar to the way Grandpa and I would play it.

"Yes, but you can, and should, use your three tails to introduce another one of your pawns into the game. After all, you do need all of them in the right spots to win," Merimose said, and I sat back, bobbing my head twice.

"Got it."

"And there are a few more rules," he went on, and I listened, my eyes running across the board again with much enthusiasm. "There are two short cuts that we can use to move ahead of the game, getting us closer to victory. One of those short cuts is number twenty. If we happen to land on that hole, we get to skip number twenty one and go straight on to number twenty two. The other short cut…" and as Merimose trailed off, I looked up to see him grinning as he pointed to the board. "If you're lucky enough to land on number ten, you get to move all the way to number twenty four. And as you can see, the paths here shows you where to go if you happen to land on them."

"Ah, I see," and scanning the numbers, my sharp eyes quickly fell on a thin line that sat next to number fifteen. How Grandpa and I would play it, that line usually meant that whoever got to or past that number first, they won the bet. Surely it meant the same thing, right?

"What's with the line at number fifteen," I asked, and Merimose answered quickly.

"If we had a stake, whoever passed that hole first, won whatever was put up."

" _Knew it."_

"Anything else?" I asked, and I watched as Merimose thought for a moment before replying.

"Yes. You can't have two pawns on the same hole. If you can't move at all, your throw is lost." He looked up after mulling to himself for a while, probably thinking if there was anything else that I should know. "Those are all of the rules. Do you understand them?" he finally said, and I nodded. I practically played this game many times, so it shouldn't be too hard.

"I understand… except for one thing," I said, and I eyed Merimose as he glanced at me.

"What's that?" he asked carefully, and I smiled.

"Please don't call me _Sir_. It's too formal. Just call me Y- Timaeus. Alright?" I said, and I saw Merimose's cheeks redden, but he nodded.

"Say it," I said teasingly, and Merimose's head dipped as he bit back a shy smile before saying it.

"Alright, Timaeus."

"Good. Now, shall we start?" and at that he sat up straighter, shaking his head.

"You can have first throw," he offered, and I nodded, sitting up as well to face the board properly.

"Alright," and picking up the three coins, I shook them around twice in my palm before dropping them on to the table. Two heads.

"Good start," Merimose said, and I took my first piece and stuck it into the second hole.

"Your turn," I said, and giving Merimose the coins, I watched as he shook them around for a moment before dropping them, revealing a very envious throw that got him three heads.

"A very good start for the both of us," I said, and Merimose grinned as he handed me the coins. He was really starting to warm up to me. Perhaps all he needed was a reason to start talking, and explaining the game to me helped him with that. Shaking the coins, I dropped them down to see that I got another two heads.

"I move up to number four now," I murmured quietly, and taking the coins from me, Merimose got one head. As he moved his pieces, I took the coins and threw them again, moving my pieces accordingly.

This continued on for quite a few hours. Before we knew it, the one o'clock sun was upon us, but Merimose and I didn't care. We were both leaning forward on the board, foreheads sweating and hearts pumping as we watched each other throw again. As of now, all of our pieces were on the board, each of them close to the top five. Numbers eighteen and up, we were at, and so far, Merimose was in the lead. However, he wasn't having much luck getting those exact numbers that he needed to get his pieces in the holes. Three of his pieces were already in their holes, the other two very close behind them. My pieces though were the ones at the number eighteen and early twenties, only two of my pieces in their holes.

"Three tails," Merimose grumbled, and quickly he threw again for his free turn. "One head," and using that he moved the piece that was already at the top, leaving it to take up the last hole.

"My turn," I said, or thought, I wasn't paying attention, and I just took the coins and threw. "Three tails!" I exclaimed, and quickly I moved my furthest piece five holes closer to victory. Using my free turn I threw again and got one head, and I smirked, moving the same piece up another one. Now all of my pieces were in the twenty row. Merimose though seemed anxious as I got nearer to him.

"I'll beat you," he assured, and he threw. Two heads. "No one in the village has been able to beat me at this game," he boasted, and I rose an eyebrow as his little spark of competitiveness began to show. He smirked, and moved his farthest piece up twice. From the looks of it though he really needed to strategize now. All of his pieces were close together, and two of them needed to get on those empty holes at the top before he could win.

"Well," I started, shaking the coins. "Back where I'm from, my friends would call me the King of Games, luck and belief sort of by two best friends. I strongly believe that I'll take your crown today as well," and dropping them, I moved my piece up by two, leaving Merimose to gape in shock as I nailed my third piece into hole number twenty six.

"Let's see you try," he said firmly, regathering himself, and I grinned. He was definitely a tough player, and I haven't had this much fun in quite a while. I couldn't wait to see who would win, and with his fire, that would be a sight that I wouldn't want to miss. All he had shown me for the past two days was his quiet self, but just like me, a good game had him forgetting all about that introverted part of himself.

"Yes! Three heads!" he exclaimed, and he moved his piece on to the fourth hole at the top, leaving one piece left. "All I need now is another three, and I win," and he shot me a triumphant look. I bit my lip as I took the coins, gazing at my own pieces.

"Good, but I can still win," I said, and throwing the coins, I continued to move my pieces forward. They were now very close to getting to the top, so it was my turn to get those exact numbers before it really got difficult.

"Two heads," Merimose mumbled, and he passed me the coins. Immediately I shook and dropped them, revealing two lovely heads of my own. I moved my piece up by two, leaving it at number twenty four.

"Now I just need three heads and or three tails to win," I explained, but Merimose just continued to study the board.

"Good luck with that," he said, and I laughed.

"You too."

As he rolled, yet again he was unable to get three heads, and so now he was flopped down on his back, groaning.

"I hate this part of the game. It takes forever," he grumbled, and I shook my head, throwing the coins only to get two heads.

"Your turn," and he sat up and threw again, only to flop back down when he got one head.

"I just need three heads! How hard is it to ask? Please, Ra, give it to me," he prayed up at the ceiling, and I rolled my eyes with amusement, just about to throw for my turn when someone stepped through the door.

"Merimose! Why are you speaking so loudly? I could hear you outside," Ramose scolded as he walked in, and promptly Merimose sat up to look at his father who entered with Senisonbe at his side. He had a few sacks over his shoulder filled with things that he dropped in the corner. And as Ramose dusted his feet off, he stepped forward and looked at the game.

"What are you doing?" he asked, and Merimose quickly explained. I found myself falling quiet after he entered for reasons I still didn't know how to explain. He was just so confident and stern that it reminded me of the times my own father would step into my room after hearing a ton of unnecessary racket.

"We've been playing Dogs and Jackals since this morning. We're almost neck and neck together, and it's started to get annoying, waiting to get the number we need to win."

"Which one are you?" Ramose asked, and he stood above us, watching.

"I'm the Dogs, Timaeus is the Jackals."

"It is a close one," Ramose muttered, and he sat down next to us, watching us as he ate after Senisonbe handed him a plate filled with food.

"Whose turn is it?" Merimose wondered, turning back to the game, and I held up the coins.

"Mine," and I threw the coins, only to purse my lips together to see that I was unable to move again.

"You were saying that you were going to win?" Merimose teased, looking at my two pieces that still didn't reach the top, and I scowled playfully as he threw, only to chuckle to myself when he moaned once more. "Argh, one head. You go," and he handed me the coins. When I threw another blank, he let out a deep sigh.

"This is never going to end. So you know what, our next throw will be our last. If neither of us can move, that's it. It's a draw," Merimose stated, and he crossed his arms. I had to agree with him on that one. I was starting to get tired from sitting in one spot also.

Glancing over at Merimose who stole a bite of bread from Ramose, who in turn swatted him playfully, I looked away and stared at the board, at my pieces. I also wanted to win though. This was the best game of Dogs and Jackals I've ever played, and to not even try to win would go against everything I stood for. I never just accepted defeat without a good reason. So to do that now… No. I had to get this throw right. Three tails, and use my extra turn to get three heads. I've gotten out of tougher positions before, so I just had to have the same belief. And with that in my head, I threw.

"No way, three tails!" Merimose shouted, startling me, and looking down my eyes widened to see that I had indeed threw three tails. Grinning, my hands shaking slightly, I moved my first piece into position.

"All you also need now is three heads to win," Ramose said, looking at my side of the board, and I nodded.

"There's no way you can get that," Merimose said, but I just picked up the coins, my heart thudding. I clutched them tightly, stilled my heart by closing my eyes, and threw once more.

There was silence after the sound of the coins spinning on the wooden surface, came to a stop. After a while of that did my eyes slowly peeked open as well, only to shoot open when I saw what laid before me on the table.

Three heads!

I felt my mouth making an 'O' shape as I continued to stare at the coins, and from the thud on the other side of the table, I knew what was coming.

"How did you get that!? There's no way a person can have that much luck. And, and you beat me?!" Merimose screeched on the floor, while Ramose just looked at me, just as surprised as I was.

"Well, congratulations, Timaeus," he said. "I never would have thought someone would actually win against Merimose."

"You really are the King of Luck," Merimose said, looking back up at me, and his pout eventually turned into a smile, putting my last piece into my final hole. "Even though I lost, that was so much fun. You're very good for your first time. It's like you were playing it for years. You didn't even forget the rules."

"Well, I…" I started, only to have Merimose latch on to my side.

"You have to show me your trick. How did you pull that off?" he asked excitedly, and I sighed, smiling, a little bit relieved and or more at ease now that the intense game was over before turning to Merimose who was looking up at me with sparkling eyes.

"I just believed I could, and I did," I answered quietly, and Merimose 'oohed' in response.

"That's it?"

"Mmhm."

"Wow."

"Yeah…"

"Alright, enough of this," Ramose said, and he stood up, handing Senisonbe his plate. Anxiously I watched as he looked at Merimose, and then towards me.

"You two do know what's coming up next week, right?" he asked, and to that we both nodded. It was the Sed Festival. How can we forget, especially me? Ramose continued.

"That means that there is a lot of work to be done. We can't afford to waste so much time right now. We need to get to work. So, Timaeus." Hearing my name, I looked up at him. "Since you're very eager to help, I created a list of a few things that needs to get done. Together, both of you and Merimose will complete it, understand?" and hearing that he was going to actually give me something to do around the house, I stood up, a wide grin on my face as I shoved back the instant ache that I felt after having been sitting down for so long.

"Thank you, sir! I won't let you down."

"I know, and to help you, Merimose is there, right, son?" and Merimose nodded furiously.

"Yes, father."

"Alright, get on with it!" Ramose said, waving his hand at us as he turned away to start opening the sacks he had come into the house with. "We need to get dinner on the table in a few hours, so hurry."

"C'mon," Merimose said, and looking up from the list, I quickly followed him outside, holding the little basket in my hands that he had given me just as we stepped out. As he stood next to me, giving me a reassuring smile, a feeling of accomplishment washed over me. For once, it finally felt as if things were going to start working out for me in the end. I just hoped this trail led me towards uncovering the secrets behind the Nameless Pharaoh, and a proper, clearer reason as to why I was here.

* * *

 **Would you believe it if I said I finished the entire chapter in one night? Well, I did. I just got right back into the zone and everything started to make sense to me. I think I did well this time around, though my only concern, other than the repeats I must have missed, is Merimose's character in this chapter. Did I write him too relaxed around Yugi, more than I should have? I thought that since they were playing a game, and he had to speak more to Yugi, that would have brought out his personality more, especially when the game got intense. So, was it alright? Please tell me! And, I hope that reading them play the game was entertaining, and not boring. Thank you for reading and please review. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. I feel horrible every time I leave it hanging for so long…**

 **Anyways, thanks once again!**

 **Bye~**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi everyone. Thank you all for the reviews and love. Seriously, with my terrible updating skills, seeing your support makes me so happy. Though, I am sorry for this super big wait. I don't know what's wrong with me. My writing these days just aren't satisfying me. I've started this chapter weeks, no, months ago, and still don't feel that I've written it the way I want it to be written. Things are just… missing. Ah, you'll read and tell me what you think.**

 **REVIEWS~**

 **i – Thank you many times! I seriously can't get enough of it. Your reviews always helped me write better and understand my errors, and I'm truly grateful for that. However, I was so happy to see that your recent review had no major critiques at all! It made me overjoyed to think that I finally one right. I'm improving, I think, though I highly doubt this chapter would be the same…**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 14

* * *

As I walked down the sandy road, my feet slowly, but finally getting used to the heat and the feeling of the rough grains brushing against my toes, I smiled at the sight of Merimose who bounded ahead, picking up random rocks and chucking them as far as he could. I grinned as the rock smacked against the wall of a house, dropping to the ground behind a stall just a short second after.

"Nice one!" I called, and he turned around to shoot me a playful grin before scouring the ground, especially the spots around the stalls and narrow streets, to find another decent sized rock. Spotting one, his eyes widened with relief and he rushed over to get it.

"Your turn," he said after picking it up, and turning to look at me, he threw the rock in my direction. I caught it easily and held it, and without saying anything I just stopped and threw as hard as I could. Watching with anticipation, I let out a cheer as it landed on the roof of a house two buildings down, and turned back to Merimose to see him pouting, muttering with annoyance.

"Okay, so I beat you… ten times out of the ten games. What's my prize?" I asked, and I twisted my lips to hide the grin as he shot me a not-so-threatening glare.

"You already got your prize. You're living in my house, no?" he snapped, and I pursed my lips tightly, trying to hide my laughter that wanted to spill from my mouth as I watched him storm away. I ended up laughing though, and with a shake of my head I followed quickly behind him.

With the Sed Festival approaching right before my eyes, which still seemed quite unreal, the chores I found were never ending. We were constantly being sent out to buy groceries, pots to store more food in, and whatever little supplies Ramose and Senisonbe needed to get the food stocked and ready to be sent to the palace. Since we had spent most of our time throughout the week fetching things, it wasn't long until we started getting bored of the continuous trek from the marketplace and home. Merimose would create many games for us to play on our walks, and this rock throwing game was one of them. Whoever could throw the farthest, won. So, since I was bigger, thus longer arms, it wasn't hard for me to out throw him.

When we weren't working, I could say that Merimose and I grew a lot more comfortable with each other. With everyone else busy, we would sit down and play several games of Dogs and Jackals. Other times, he would take me out to the village, showing me all of his favourite spots and introduce me to his friends who I had also spent some time with, all of them warming up to me quite nicely. And during the night, instead of sleeping he would retell the troubles one of his friends had gotten them into, both of us laughing and just talking until he fell asleep between sentences.

Looking up, I stopped suddenly when I realised that he was no longer at my side, so immediately I had to stop. I spun my head around to start searching for him in the crowd since he would disappear often on me, only to catch him standing on the sides, scanning the stalls across the road.

"What is it?" I asked, and I walked up to him, also looking around at the people and the many stalls that surrounded us on the street, a clear view of the palace straight down the road. It was only the half day and everyone already seemed tired, their skins shiny from sweat and fatigue lacing them thickly even though they wore bright smiles. Merimose bit his lip, and following his eyes I stared at what he was supposedly looking at. It was a pottery shop that sat right in the middle of two jewellery stands.

"I'm trying to see if she has big pots. Mother said that she needs a big one to put the wheat in," he mumbled, and I just had to face-palm. Oh Merimose…

At the end of the day, Merimose's people skills were very low. He was severely shy, and I learned that when it came to people, staying as far away from them as he could was what he was going to do. For example, right now. Approaching the woman at the stall and simply asking if she had bigger pots was not an option.

"Merimose, just ask," I exclaimed, and when he didn't move, looking even more frightened by the mere thought, he let out a fearful yelp as I grabbed his arm and started to pull him towards the stall. "You can't hide from people forever. You need to speak to them. Communicating is something important that you need to do to survive. Stop straining your eyes and just go over to her."

"But, Timaeus," he started, and shooting him a glare, he fell quiet. I let go of his hand as we neared, and immediately the boy's fear vanished and he was stammering infront of the woman who glanced at us with hope in her eyes. Perhaps today had been a slow day for her.

"Um, um, my mom needs a big pot. What are the sizes you have?" he asked, eyes comically wide, and a small smile made its way on to my face. I looked at him as the woman checked the pots that were stacked on one another behind her, and Merimose spared no second to punch me playfully for pulling him. I grinned at him in return, but both of us stilled our foolish actions just as the woman turned back around.

"Ah, this is the biggest I got," she said happily. "Is this okay for your Mother?" and taking a look at it, Merimose thought and nodded after a short moment.

"Yes, I think this should be alright."

"Okay, good," she said, and while Merimose paid, I glanced behind us aimlessly to look at the street, only to have my eyes widen with surprise as I spotted the three boys who were making their way towards us. An amused smile crossed my face after seeing the familiar scowl and tiny frown that two of the boys wore, while the one in the middle grinned ear to ear, waving happily upon seeing me. I tapped Merimose on the shoulder, and after turning around and looking to where I pointed, his face lit up upon noticing them as well.

"Sabra, Nour, Gamal, hey," Merimose exclaimed, and he took a step forward as the three boys stopped before us.

"Merimose!" Nour shouted, and he stepped away from between the other two boys to drape an arm around Merimose's shoulder. Merimose chuckled in return, flicking the boy away who proceeded to rub his tanned face and glare playfully at Merimose with his big, grey eyes.

"Hi, Timaeus," Sabra said softly, and turning away from those two, I smiled at the young boy who was surely no more than eight years old, clutching his pouch at his side. When our eyes met, his blue irises went up to his older brother, Gamal, whose arms were crossed and lips pursed tightly, making his face seem grim.

"Gamal, what's the matter?" I asked, trying to snap him out of his thoughts, and it worked for he jumped a bit and let out a sheepish smile after realising that he had zoned out again.

"Oh, hi, Timaeus," he said, and his eyes met with Sabra who laughed at his state. That got the little one a light punch on the arm.

"What are you all doing here?" Merimose asked, looking at them, and at that Nour was quick to respond in that same, overly cheerful tone that I always heard, quite endlessly I might add, whenever I saw him.

"Oh!" the boy began, but he was immediately shut down by Gamal who stepped forward, glowering darkly at him, the annoyance appearing once more.

"Sabra and I were running errands for our uncle, only to run into this joker who has nothing to do but fool around. He's been dragging us around for almost twenty minutes."

"Hey!" Nour shouted back at the comments thrown his way, and as he got under Gamal's cold gaze to intimidate him, he nervously laughed and backed away when Gamal's precise, cold blue eyes pierced his, causing the rest of us to burst out into a set of laughter ourselves.

As much as I found it hard to believe at first, Merimose spent some time convincing me that they were all really good friends despite the huge differences between their personalities, especially with the way Nour and Gamal fought about almost everything. In the end, I guess they balanced each other out. Sabra was shy and quiet, bring peace to the group and someone they all cared for unconditionally, while Gamal –Sabra's older brother- was a bit on the proud and cold side, the smart one of the group, preferring to use his head over emotions. Nour was the one who constantly made every day and every moment entertaining, while Merimose was the one who mediated, leading them. Every time I looked at them, it would remind me of my friends back home. Sabra was a lot like Ryou, Gamal like Seto, Nour a bit like Joey, and Merimose reminding me much of myself. It brought back quite a bit of memories, and made the little gap in my heart that missed home even bigger.

"So, how long have you been out?" I heard Merimose asked after the laughter died down, and bringing myself out of my thoughts, I looked up just in time to see Merimose shake his head to himself after seeing that Gamal and Nour continued to shoot each other dirty looks. Without drawing much attention to himself, he stepped between the two and went on with the conversation.

"We came outside only a short time ago," Sabra answered, and at that my eyes widened, my jaw slackening.

"Really?" I asked with disbelief, unable to understand why _everyone_ wasn't out since morning preparing for the celebration, and Sabra took a step back at seeing our reactions.

"Yeah, why?"

"We've been out all morning!" Merimose exclaimed, and his hands went to his hips with exaggerated annoyance.

"Obviously," Gamal stated, and our eyes turned towards him. His arms crossed once more into the pose I've seen many times. "At our place we don't have much to do other than cleaning and such, while your family has one of the biggest jobs. You're feeding the palace, so surely you both would have a lot of work to get done."

Ah… he did have a point there.

"Wait," Nour suddenly said, and once more our attention turned to him out of curiosity. It wasn't every day he used a serious tone like that. He glanced at Gamal and Sabra. "I did have something to do today," he explained, and at that Gamal scoffed.

"Oh yeah? What would that be?"

"It concerns the two of you," and ignoring Gamal, Nour turned towards Merimose and me. Our brows both raised in confusion.

"Us?" Merimose wondered, and he flashed me a quick look before returning to Nour who nodded.

"Yeah, I can't believe I forgot. Your mother told me to tell you that she has to send the flour to the palace as soon as possible, so you need to get back home when you're done."

"Oh, okay. Thanks. We will," Merimose said, and he bobbed his head twice in understanding. "If you pass by my house, do drop in and tell her we'll be there. We're almost done."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Nour assured, and he grinned widely, rushing up to Sabra and Gamal and latching on to them again. "You get to your chores, we'll be off now!"

"No, you're going elsewhere. Sabra and I are going to get our chores done," Gamal scolded, and he pulled Nour off of them who in turn pouted, mustering up a sad look.

"You're abandoning me?"

"Yes," Gamal said, and giving a curt nod in Merimose's and my direction, he marched off, pulling Sabra off with him. Sabra smiled sadly at Nour who was left standing in shock.

"Go home for now, Nour. We'll meet up later. Promise," Sabra called, and at that Nour sighed in defeat.

"Okay, fine," and watching as Sabra waved at us before disappearing within the crowd with Gamal, I turned to see Merimose picking up the vase that was still sitting next to the woman.

"Are you going to go home, Nour?" I asked, turning to look at him, and at that the boy shrugged. He was scratching his arm, gazing around at the flock of people.

"Nah. My mom sent me out because she said I was being a bother at home. I'll probably just go find my cousins instead," and as he said those words, I watched uncertainly as he stopped and slowly grinned mischievously, a finger coming up to tap his chin. What could possibly be going through the boy's head?

"Okay, we're off," Merimose said, and I stared with wonder as the boy completely ignored the expression that graced his friends face, along with the smirk that made its appearance as he turned around.

"Yeah, okay. I'm going to go too then," and he started to walk away, leaving me still feeling dumbfounded. "Bye!" and like that he was gone.

"Bye," Merimose called, and I noticed that he gave a little wave. He then turned to me, smiling reassuringly after seeing my look.

"He'll be fine," he told me, and nudging me once with his shoulder, I pushed Nour to the back of my mind and stepped out from under the canopy and into the sun which returned to putting our skin ablaze. Instinctively my eyes squinted, and using my free hand to give me shade, I watched as Merimose walked quickly ahead of me, clutching the pot tightly to his chest with both of his arms.

"Do you need some help holding that?" I asked him, and I loosened my grip on the basket I held just in case he wanted to trade loads. Merimose however stilled his walking and flashed me a bright smile before shaking his head.

"I got it," he assured, and he continued to wait until I had caught up to him. Thank goodness he did too, or surely I would have lost him in the crowd. I took notice of the yawn he tried to hide and the slight widening of his eyes. "I'm a bit tired, but that's just from walking. All I want to do now is get home," he said, and he let out a weary breath.

"Yeah, me too," I replied, and I refrained from forcing the pot out of his hands to lessen the weight. A repeat of last time was not something I wanted. Merimose was more than capable enough to handle things on his own when they got tough, and he made sure to prove that to me several times over the week. That didn't stop the little pangs in my chest that got me concerned though. I let out a sigh, and returned the comforting smile. "Let's get a move on then."

Just as we took a few steps, a loud shriek suddenly passed over our heads. Merimose and I froze instantly, and so did everyone in the bazaar because the area had abruptly fallen quiet. Everyone stopped talking, and as I looked around, very much confused, I could see others rushing out from underneath their tents as well to see the source of the sound. The cry wasn't the only thing that grabbed everyone's attention though. The shadow of a bird shaped, human, creature kind of shadow, moving across the sand had all eyes turning towards the sky, and what I saw… my own purple ones widened in disbelief.

Bright, white wings like that of an angel was opened wide on her back. Long blue hair was evident, her purple and black dress flowing behind her as the breeze whooshed by softly. Her skin, if it was skin, was green, and her eyes, the ones that scanned the market carefully, were ocean blue. Even more astonishing, I immediately took notice that she wasn't alone. Flying just a short distance away was another creature. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought it was the Dark Magician, one of my favourite duel monster cards back home, but it wasn't. Despite the striking similarities, his face was just black mist under his hat, and glowing blue eyes were ghost-like instead of the stern, purple ones I was so used to seeing on my card. Closing my mouth that had opened slightly from shock, I kept watching as they circled above once more before flying off in the direction they were heading in.

As they disappeared from sight, the silence around me disappeared as well. I was brought back to reality as the noise started up again, but I couldn't help but gawk in confusion as everyone seemingly resumed what they were doing, minus the sudden rise in conversation. Why were they acting as if they saw this kind of thing often? Do they see this often?! I had to stop and remind myself that this era was filled with magic, so those were probably real magical beings. They had to be! So, the question now was who summoned them and for what reason?

While I got so absorbed in my thoughts, the crazy look of glee no doubt appearing on my face, one that had creeped Grandpa out on more than one occasion, I felt another small nudge against my arm. Startled, I rubbed my face to lose the excitement of my findings to focus on Merimose who was looking at me with a tint of amusement on his features. A tiny smile tugged at his lips, and a brow rose up as our eyes met.

"You've never seen anything like that before, have you?" he asked, and I nodded, my heart thudding away in my chest as my mind returned to earth.

"No," I breathed, my voice shaky. "I have never seen that before. It's incredible. I've heard that your country uses magic, but it's the first time I've seen it." Merimose smiled, nodding in agreement.

"They are pretty amazing. I never get tired of seeing them. No one does," he explained, and we quickly retreated under a large canopy to hide from the sun. I stood just on the edge though, my eyes on the lookout in hopes of seeing them again. "The two you just saw were Spiria and Illusion Magician. They are the Ka's of two Priests in the palace," Merimose went on. "We don't see them regularly, but once every week or two they show up."

"Why?" I couldn't help asking, turning towards him, but hearing the shrieks again, I quickly stepped out to look at them. They had indeed returned, and yet again they circled the village slowly, eyes searching. What were they searching for? I returned my attention back to Merimose who continued to speak, and hearing the sad tone in his voice, I looked at him carefully.

"The sight of the Priest's Ka's, Spiria and Illusion Magician especially, usually means that they were summoned to search for the Prince," Merimose said, and he sighed, giving a little shake of his head. "Looks like he disappeared, again, and Mana is no doubt going to be taking the brunt of his actions, as usual."

"Wait, what do you mean?" I asked quickly, seeing the depressed expression on his face. It was then when Merimose bit his lip and shut his eyes for a few seconds, and with another shake of his head, he reopened them to gaze at me with a frown, his voice soft, almost a whisper, as he went on.

"The Prince does this quite often. He disappears to do Ra knows what without telling anyone, and Mana gets in trouble. Once, the Prince vanished during the night and throughout the following day and didn't return until late. The royals locked her away without any food until the Prince returned because they thought she was lying when she said she didn't know where he went. He never tells her so how could she know?" Merimose huffed, and I watched as his face turned sour.

"How do you know that?" I asked quietly.

"Mana told me," Merimose said, and I let go of his shoulder from surprise after hearing the sharp tone. "When Mana comes over every month, whenever she has time anyways, she confides in my mother about everything that's happening since there's not much people she can depend on at the palace. I would listen in on the conversations they would have when Father isn't there, and I would try my best to cheer her up, but I can always see that she's worried."

"Okay, okay, calm down, Merimose," I tried to soothe. "Don't worry. I'm sure Mana will be fine," and I smiled as reassuringly as I could. He was so upset about this, and I couldn't really say he's just overthinking anything because his words weren't hard for me to believe. When I had met Mana myself the first day I came here, she had said something quite similar.

 _"_ _This is normal in the palace. The Prince disappears every so often, exploring the village and the deserts when he's supposed to be doing his lessons. He's the next one in line for the throne after his father, and it worries people to see that he's not taking it as seriously as he should. And, although we don't talk a lot or even see each other most of the time, I am the first to be asked as to where he could be. Sometimes blamed as well…"_

"I know, I'm sorry," Merimose said quickly, and I helped him put the large pot down as he wiped his sweat away and took a few deep breaths. "I'm- I just get so mad when the Prince ups and leaves without atleast offering an explanation or notifying someone. I know it's none of my business, but Mana is like a sister to me and I'm tired of seeing her so upset every time she comes over."

"Do you know why he might be leaving the palace all the time?" I asked quietly, and at this Merimose shook his head and shrugged, looking around at the vegetables that sat behind him.

"I don't know him, I've never even met him. Mana thinks that he doesn't like the palace, but…" Merimose sighed once more. "I just don't know. There must be a reason Mana forgives him every time though. They are friends after all."

"Yeah…" and I trailed off into thought.

Another shriek of the creatures ahead caught everyone's attention, and I was once more pulled out of my thoughts to see them finally heading back towards the palace. My heart raced with curiosity as I stared at them. Just as the creatures disappeared from sight however, another shout had people turning their heads to the middle of the market. When I glanced over, my brows furrowed upon seeing a man standing in the center, arms flailing, clothes ragged and dirty, head messily shaven, and his eyes wild and accusing. He was glaring at the Ka spirits, seemingly on the verge of chasing them as well.

"Go away! Shoo, you blasted demons!" he suddenly screamed, and my heart leapt at the ferocity in his voice, the anger he displayed. I instinctively started to take steps forward to see what the matter was, only to freeze when his crazy gaze was then turned towards everyone around him. He sauntered crookedly towards them, muttering and ranting to himself. I had to strain my ears to listen until he started shouting again. I jumped slightly when I felt Merimose tugging gently on my tunic for us to go, but somehow my head turned away from his begging eyes and my feet stayed rooted to the ground, listening attentively to every word that the strange man was saying.

"Those creatures, why don't you understand that they're cursed!" he yelled into the faces of people, and some shot him a disgusted look before walking away with a wave of their hand. He eyed them, but continued on to the other spectators. "The magic will kill us all! Those royals are feeding something evil in there, you have to believe me," he went on, and the screech in his voice sent chills down my spine. What did he mean by feeding? Clenching my now clammy hands, I looked around, goosebumps appearing on my skin. More looks of disdain appeared on faces, some were even muttering under their breaths before eventually leaving as well.

 _"_ _Crazy man..."_

 _"_ _Why haven't the guards locked him up yet?"_

 _"_ _Stupid old coot."_

Those were the words I caught coming from those who walked by, but my eyes stayed locked on the disheveled looking man. He was walking up to others as they tried to ignore him since everyone had dispersed, and was looking at them intently. Pursing my lips tightly, I tried to push back the fear that swelled within me. Here I was trying to get into the palace, when this man is shouting that only horrors await. Is this the evil Shadi was talking about?

"We have to stop the magic. It will only get worse," he said, his voice raspy, and my breath caught in my throat when his russet eyes locked on me. "Darkness is going to envelop Egypt and destroy us all if it isn't stopped," and he swore loudly, resulting is people shouting back at him, telling him to get lost, until he finally did. Cursing at everyone he turned around and limped away, and with a few more scowls here and there, slowly the bazaar returned to normal. I however couldn't get his words out of my head.

 _"_ _Darkness is going to envelop Egypt and destroy us all is it isn't stopped."_

The more the line ran through my head, swirling with the words that Shadi practically drilled into my brain, my body started to feel light. My stomach was churning so badly that I just knew I was going to be sick, but before I could drop, Merimose's final, urgent tug had me turning around to glance at him. Concern was written all over his face, and that only intensified when he held my arm tightly, no doubt seeing the pale look that had taken over my face.

"Timaeus, are you okay?" he asked, and he walked me over to a small, mud made seat where he sat me down.

"You're sweating, and your face is cold," he said, and he felt my forehead and cheeks as he spoke. I struggled to regain the focus in my eyes. When I did, my eyes finally being able to see the strand of hair hanging over his eyebrow, I spoke.

"Merimose…" I started, and his breath hitched at the suddenness of the moment. I brushed him off and sat straighter, to show that I was going to be okay. The dizziness was leaving, but my mind was still shocked. "What just happened?" I whispered, and staring at me for a few more seconds, Merimose's eyes dropped to his lap before answering.

"Don't worry about it. That was just Ameneman. He's crazy, so don't get too worked up about what he said." He quickly changed the topic. "C'mon. I think you've been out in the sun too long. You're not used to it, so I should have expected as much. Let's go home for now. I'll come back out and get the rest of the stuff."

I grabbed Merimose's arm when he tried to stand, and sat him back down next to me. I couldn't understand why he didn't want to explain further, but as of now I just assumed that he was worried more about my health than some local that he seemed used to seeing often. However, crazy or not, I needed to know. I only had feelings like that when I had flashbacks, so going through something similar at a time like that concerned me.

"What is it?" he wondered, and I took a breath before pressing more on the matter.

"Merimose, tell me. I want to know. Why did, Ameneman say those things. What was he referring to?" Seeing the determination I held to find answers, once more Merimose studied me silently before giving in, releasing a sigh and glancing downwards.

"Ameneman… Well, for as long as I can remember, he always rants about this supposed evil that lives within the palace. He's blaming it on the magic, and no one understands why. I mean, the magic is the one that protected us and kept our country peaceful for such a long time. So obviously he must be deluded somehow." Merimose sighed once more before looking back at me. "He's been to prison several times already for his behaviour. He would attack and disrupts palace guards, when the Priests would come into the village, he was the first one to cause trouble, and even though he's received many warnings, each time he got even crazier. No one understands it."

I mulled quietly to myself. "It still doesn't make sense to me. Has he always been like this?" and Merimose rubbed his face with both hands, wiping away the sweat. I did the same after realising that my own skin was damp as well.

"Well, Father told me that he was never like this. At one time, Ameneman was the smartest man in the kingdom, and that was how he got to work for the Pharaoh as a Scribe of some sort within the palace. Ameneman was excited to work with the royal family. It was his dream, apparently."

"What changed?"

"No one really knows for sure, but days later he ran away, appearing before everyone like the way you just saw him now. He made no sense. Many people, as you saw, don't believe him. However, those who knew him personally, did. Trusting Ameneman's words, his _followers_ only went on to cause trouble for the palace. It's another reason why Mana gets so frightened when the Prince leaves the palace."

I pursed my lips tightly, that fear within myself sparking once again. Something was definitely wrong here. Ameneman… I couldn't stop myself from thinking that there may be some truth to the words he was saying. I was sent here with the purpose of getting into the palace, to save something. That meant I had to stop something, and so far, when it came to the things I knew, Ameneman was the only one who said anything close to my thoughts out loud. Just my luck though, to have everyone else think he's insane.

"Do you think the Prince has anything to do with it?" I then hesitantly asked, and Merimose gave me a bewildered look.

"I doubt it," Merimose said after a while. "Ameneman was a Scribe, stuck at the Pharaoh's side throughout the day. Besides, this was years ago. The Prince was around my age when Ameneman worked there, so how could he have anything to do with it?"

I hummed. Well, any thoughts I had to linking him to the Prince was out. But, my eyes widened fractionally when I recalled one of my earlier flashbacks. The one of the Prince as a child, much younger than Merimose, with a shadow, a darkness, lurking around him. Was that it? Is that the evil Ameneman was talking about? As a piece of the puzzle suddenly clicked together, instead of feeling confident, I felt even more worried. What have I gotten myself into?

"C'mon, Timaeus. Let's go," Merimose said, and he picked up the vase and held it in his arms tightly once more. I stood up, feeling my feet walking behind him.

My entire being however was solely focused on Ameneman who was poking around a vegetable stall, scratching his leg while he loitered for moments before being chased away. As Ameneman's retreating form meandered its way down a tiny street, filled with old crates and wet mud, I couldn't help but feel assured that Ameneman was part of my journey. He held some answers to my questions, and maybe, just maybe, he might be able to give me a clue as to what this thing is that the Prince needed saving from.

* * *

 **And that brings us to the end of the chapter! I hope you all liked it. I got to say that it was a real trouble maker, this chapter. So many things were happening one after another, and I'm wondering if it was too much, or too close together. The transition, then, between the friends and then the appearance of Spiria and Illusion Magician, and then Ameneman's entrance. It feels that I could have had more of Yugi's thoughts on everything, but then I took the scenes into account and thought that there might have not even been time for him to think logically about each part. That's why I kind of tried to gather his thoughts on all the events at the end of the chapter.**

 **Also, what do you think of the scene with Merimose's friends? To be honest, it was kind of a filler, just to get the plot moving along, but then again I reasoned that it would also be good to have Yugi be more familiar with the people around him, especially those that Merimose knows because it has been a week and the two were together for most of it. My other reasoning.**

 **As you already must have known, there are no doubt some repeats in there, odd lines, the ending it starting to seem too abrupt now, and… perhaps OOCness on Merimose's part. By gosh, that's another thing I'm concerned about now. Ugh. So bothersome. However, don't worry. I shall NEVER give up working on this story. I have lots of exciting things planned once Yugi meets Atem, and I can't wait to get there. I know the waiting is tedious, and I'm awful at updating consistently, but I shall try my best especially since summer is approaching.**

 **Thank you all for reading! Your support and kind words means so much to me and is part of the reason why I try my best.**

 **Please review. :)**

 **Until next time… Bye~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Haha~ Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all of the love last chapter. I'm glad you all enjoyed it even though it was quite… not up to my expectations. I hope this chapter makes up for the last one! Plus, where are all of you?! Was I so late that I've been abandoned? Expected more reviews…. Hehe. I'm kidding. I love all of the support, no matter how silent. ;D However, I hope I see more this chapter. I have a very important request for you all, so please check out my ending author note.**

 **REVIEWS~**

 **i – Thank you so much for the review! I have to be honest though. I get super excited when you review, and then immediately feel such dread and nervousness, and then anxiety while reading, and then relief. Seriously. You make me go through this rollercoaster, and I'm thankful each time. I went back and edited some, especially the ending with Ameneman. I don't know if there's much of a difference, but I do hope I've nailed some things. Many thanks as always~**

 **AnimaniAshley – Thank you for the kind words! I do try my best. :)**

 **Lesliemashburn – Hey~ You too! And, as for Yugi, we know that he's desperate for answers. However, we also know that he's not stupid. Approaching someone like Ameneman may not be ideal, but if he does, rest assured that this is Yugi and that he has his head screwed on tight and proper. Hopefully. xD Thank you!**

 **Miqu – Ahhh! Don't worry! Atem will make his appearance** **soon** **! :D**

 **BelieverofManyThings – Thank you!**

 **Yuma Moto – I'm glad that you like the story. I do try my best when writing this story. It is quite original, and to stay away from the cliché, romance had to take another ship. None of that in this fic! Mystery rules! I will continue to try my best and do better, and I hope to see one of your stories one day as well. :) Thank you!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 15

* * *

It was already one day before the Sed Festival, and everyone and everything around me slowly came to life as each of those days passed. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but smiles seemed to have widen, joy radiated through every street, and the increase of children's laughter made my heart soar with indescribable excitement. Although the workload and stress increased with those days as well, it did not diminish the light. And, during this moment, I couldn't feel any more content.

Sitting under the little shade at the front of Ramose's home, I gazed out on to the quiet street, the shouts and giggles of a group of boys disappearing down the road as they ran by just half a moment ago with leaves held high in the sky in their hands. From the little bits of conversation I caught from them, I understood that they were in the middle of a race of some sort, and someone named Pehram was winning.

This world, I couldn't help but continue to gawk in wonderment at every turn. It was so different from what I was used to. In many ways, it was very different. For one, there was a connection and a stronger sense of belonging. Being immersed and interacting with people throughout the day had somehow strengthened this invisible string that held us all together. Even though we didn't know each other, there wasn't much to fear. That could be compared to the world I knew, but magic? Hah. That was something else.

The Ka spirits I had seen yesterday. Everyone looked at them as if they were normal, while I was shocked. It kind of proves that what we deem strange might be normal for others. Either way, they were so majestic. It was kind of sad and amusing to learn that such creatures used in battle were also used to find runaway Princes. It was such a shame, but it wasn't my place to judge anyways. I still knew nothing about the Palace life, or the Prince. However, the man at the market sure knew something.

Ameneman. That was his name. It was hard to believe that a strong and courageous man like himself had been reduced to nothing short of a complete mess. He was a role model to many for being worthy enough to work for the nobles. Now he's jeered and made fun of, the same people who idolized him running away from him like plague. What must have happened to cause him such panic and distress that he lost his mind literally days after being within the walls? What? That's what bothers me. The palace holds all the answers. I just had to figure out a way to get there. That was for sure.

Sighing, I stared back at the street and tried to get rid of the down feeling. I smiled and watched the children again, pulling my legs up on to the stone bench to wrap my arms around them. If only Merimose was here to enjoy the calmness with me. He had disappeared earlier to go and play with his friends. I believe he said they were holding a contest of some sorts with the other boys that were free today deeper in the village, but sadly I couldn't remember any details.

One of the things Merimose and I had in opposite was that he loved to be outside, running around and having as much fun as he could while I preferred to stay indoors, immersing myself within all the unsolved mysteries the world held. Besides, I couldn't blame the boy for leaving me. With all of the work we had spent the last few days doing, he was unable to have any fun. Luckily Ramose and Senisonbe were almost done with their set of preparations for the festival, and therefore Merimose's and my help was no longer necessary. We could unwind now.

Feeling another cool breeze, this one brushing my legs, I sighed happily as I allowed my thoughts to freely float around in my mind after so long of being preoccupied. However, as relaxing as it sounded and no matter how desperate I wanted it, the peace did not last long. As soon as my mind sunk into its comforting dark abyss, a bright light shot through that blackness. I felt my heart reach my mouth in a blink of an eye, and without warning I was thrust into another vision, one that was quite different from the others.

I snapped open my eyes as if I had just surfaced after drowning, and instantly they locked on to the scene that began to unfold before me. A pitch black night sky weighed heavily with tension and fear, one that not even the bright moon could lighten, and the desert sand shone warningly with the soft moonlight upon it. I was promptly pulled away from the scenario when I heard heavy breathing and running footsteps across the sand followed with a murmur, and turning, I gasped as the person came into view.

It was me.

Shocked to the core and my eyes as wide as saucers now, I stumbled through the darkness to find a place to hide. I scurried towards a wall that seemingly led into a storage room of some sort and stood behind it, peeking out with immense curiosity and a spark of hesitation to see what my lookalike was going to do.

I had to be honest. For a split second I had thought that this person was the Nameless Pharaoh, and that was because of the uncharacteristic behaviour I was displaying. Never have I ever seen myself with such determination, such passion that burned within my purple irises like a desperate wild fire. Never had I looked so certain, especially when my pale hands grabbed the reigns of a rugged grey horse that was tied with two others to a wooden post and started to walk, jumping on to it as if it was his second nature. It was hard to believe it was me, particularly because I didn't even know how to ride a horse, never mind control one.

I continued to watch, my heart pounding as this other me sat on the horse with closed eyes, his entire frame suddenly screaming defeat. Now that he had trotted closer, I could see that his, my, body was shaking. His hands were trembling, and I strained my ears to listen to the words that tumbled out of his mouth in jumbles.

" _Please, please don't do this. Please, let it not happen,"_ he whispered, and I held my breath upon hearing the brokenness, the complete despair in his words. And then, he looked up into the dark sky and towards a mountain in the west, took a deep, strong breath, and gathered his remaining confidence. His hands clenched tightly around the reigns until his knuckles were white, and as I looked on, I was astounded as he gave a cry and took off, sand left flying in the air as he disappeared.

" _Timaeus!?"_

As the confusion and suddenness continued to wash over me and the scene behind my eyelids darkened into nothing, I awoke blearily and quite suddenly after hearing the call of my name. Rubbing my eyes, a hand reaching up to hold my head, I looked up to see Merimose's worried gaze, and it was at that moment I realised that I was lying flat on the sand. Merimose was kneeled down next to me, shaking me gently, and his eyes were filled with relief to see that I was able to get up.

"Timaeus!?" he called again, and a tiny smile appeared on his face.

"Merimose?" I asked. I could hardly hear my voice. My throat felt absolutely sore.

"Oh, Timaeus! Thank Ra. I thought that you had surely died," he cried, and suddenly hot tears started to spring from his eyes. I reached up to brush them away, and as I touched him, I noticed that he was trembling.

"M-Merimose? What happened?" and I watched with a tinge of fright in my heart as he sniffled, wiping the rest of the tears away from his cheeks to explain.

"I came to ask you for some help, but then… when I came here, I saw you on the ground and you were just shaking as if you had been possessed by the devil and your fists were clenched so tightly… I was so scared!" and once more he started to cry, holding my hands tightly.

I was completely shocked.

"Are you okay? Timaeus, what had happened to you?! Please, don't do that again. I would have called Mother and Father, but they went down to the Nile and they weren't here and, and-"

"I'm sorry," I whispered, and I wrapped an arm around him. I would have offered an explanation of my own, but none came to mind. I was at a total loss.

What had happened to me in my vision that caused me to react such a way? It was me, I knew it was, but it was not at the same time. Something had changed, and it was difficult for me to understand _why_ it was so different. Or, is what I just witnessed a scene of something that _will_ happen? Are my visions scenes that are yet to come?

Opening my eyes, I looked at Merimose softly, soothing him until her calmed down. I gave him a small, reassuring smile and allowed him to help me to my feet. I was still wobbly, so I immediately sat back down for a little rest.

After all of these days, Shadi didn't return to offer me any insight. Sure, things were fine as they were, but it couldn't stay like this forever. I wanted to get home, so therefore I had to keep moving forward. But so far, I was nowhere near reaching my supposed destiny.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Merimose asked again, and I was brought back down to earth. I dusted my tunic off and nodded, breathing carefully to calm my thudding heart.

"I'll be okay," I said, and after a while, I turned to Merimose who was sitting next to me quietly.

"What was it that you wanted me to help you with?" I asked, but he said nothing, simply choosing to gaze at me carefully. He was still very much spooked.

"Oh, don't mind about that," he whispered. "You still seem sick, so maybe you should take as much rest as possible."

"Nonsense," I retorted, and I stood up and broke into a big smile. "See, I'm perfectly fine!"

Merimose still wasn't convinced. He looked at me sadly, doubt deep within his eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked after fully examining me from head to toe. I nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm perfectly fine."

As soon as those words left my mouth, Merimose smiled broadly and stood. Without waiting he grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the street, dragging me through and around people as he walked. I was left feeling very much surprised.

"Merimose?" I called. What could he possibly need my help with? Was it something important? He should atleast let me know.

"Timaeus, you just have to help me," he said, and I saw him clench his hands tightly, a dark look developing on his kind features.

"Help you with what?"

"A game."

A game…? I felt as if I was floating on air. Wow. When was the last time I played a game or even looked at a game board?

"You should battle for me. For the rest of us," he exclaimed, and I pulled myself out of la-la land to watch him glare at the sand. He never did slow down. He just got faster. I rose an eyebrow questioningly, not yet sure what was going on.

"What is it?" I pressed again, and finally Merimose let out a sigh before turning towards me.

"Remember I told you that we were having a gaming competition today?" he asked, and when I nodded, he went on, slightly exasperated. "We were in the middle of it when Nakht suddenly showed up and ruined everything."

"Who's Nakht? What did he do?" I asked, and Merimose scowled even further. Just who was this Nakht person who caused such an ugly look?

"Nakht is this guy who's a whole ten summers older than all of us, and he thinks that he's the best gamer in the kingdom. He's trying to prove that by battling us. The other adults have things to do, but not him it seems. That jerk," Merimose muttered. "Just because he travels a lot with his father, he got to play many games. And because he played so many, he comes to us and brags that he won all of them. He wouldn't stop saying that he's the best gamer."

"Well, Merimose, I'm really sorry to hear that," I said, and I truly did feel a pang of sadness. "I wonder what I could do to help."

Merimose beamed at that.

"You can help us!" he exclaimed. "I want nothing more than having someone show him his place. I would do it, but he brings a lot of games we don't know how to play. That's when I thought of you. You learned to play Dogs and Jackals very quickly, even while playing, and still won! So you're our hope. Please, teach him a lesson, Timaeus."

I pondered deeply on the information he just told me. It was awful, and mean, and completely unfair. But, there was no guarantee that I would win against this Nakht person if I took up the challenge. I knew Dogs and Jackals before playing against Merimose. That's how I won. What if Nakht produced a new game I've never learned about? I didn't want to embarrass Merimose. Besides, was it even right to take up the challenge? Then again… it is quite shameful if a grown man is wandering around challenging children.

While I was thinking, I didn't notice the increase of people until there was loud talking going on all around me. I picked my eyes off the ground and looked around, only to have my face drained of all expressions. Without me noticing Merimose had somehow pulled me all the way to the spot where the tournament was being held. It was the same spot I had wandered to when I had first came here, the very same opened area where I watched that group of boys play. I could only stare in awe at the amount of kids that had gathered. It truly was a big tournament.

"Merimose," I started, but he patted my arm to grab my attention and pointed to the middle of the area. I followed his finger towards an older looking boy in the middle of the area. He was sitting on a stool across another boy, a variety of board games at his side and quite a few kids surrounding them, watching intently. What I also noticed though was that many of them were frowning, and the reason why soon became clear to me.

"Ha! Another loser! I can't believe you thought that you could best me. No one can defeat me," Nakht shouted, and he let out an obnoxious laugh, one that had me seething immediately. The tone was very ugly. It was the sound of a bully. And, not only that, but Merimose was right. This was no kid. Nakht seemed to be around twenty years old. The one who he was playing against looked only twelve.

"Does he always do this?" I asked, and at that Merimose hummed and nodded.

"Yeah. Every time he's in the village he does this. And even if we don't want to play, he'll just force us."

"Hmm."

We continued watching him for a moment until he turned our way, and seeing us, his smirk turned into a wicked smile. He glanced at me briefly before looking at Merimose with a raised eyebrow.

"Timaeus," Merimose then said.

"Yeah?"

"I kind of already told him that you were going to beat him."

"Oh." I paused, and his words sunk in. "WHAT?!"

"Is that him?" Nakht said loudly, and suddenly everyone was looking our way. Nakht got up and walked towards us, and quickly I hid my panic upon noticing just how large of a person he was. When Merimose nodded firmly, Nakht looked at me, his gaze mocking. He stopped in front of us, arms on his hips cockishly.

"What are you supposed to be?" he sneered. "The Prince's double?! Ha. You better shave your head because if he sees you mocking him, he'll throw in the dungeons or let the crocs snap at you. He's already hot headed as it is, so you better not doing anything to get on his bad side."

" _Hot headed, huh?"_ I though. Allowing that little information to sit at the back of my mind, I studied Nakht's face silently. He truly was a horrible person. What was he trying to get at by saying such things? For all I knew he was spouting lies. Besides. If anyone was hot headed, it was him. Egoistic seemed to be up there as well.

"Nakht, you should be the last one to speak. Ra forbid the Prince heard you say that and you were the one to be punished. Why are you always acting as if you know everything?" Merimose exclaimed, but Nakht just chuckled in response.

"It's because I do. I've seen him, and you haven't. Your family has been serving the royal family all your lives and you haven't even seen a strand of his hair!"

"I think that's enough, Nakht," I said, and his grey eyes immediately turned towards me. I held my ground strongly, my voice unwavering. "What gives you the right to speak like that? You've accused me, insulted a member of the royal family, and now you're challenging children to prove that you're the better gamer. Why don't you challenge someone your own size?"

It was Nakht's turn to study me, but he did so only for a few seconds before laughing, throwing his head back as if I had said the most funniest joke in the world. He was angry though, and the twitch of his eyes were proof of that. I tried to remain calm. I've stood up against my share of bullies, and this one shouldn't be any different.

"What are you going to do about it?" he yelled. "You're nothing but some pompous foreigner, and tiny Meri _mouse_ here thinks you can win against me? Don't make me pound your face in for even suggesting such a thing. You don't know who you're up against. I'm the bloody King of Games," he threatened, and he took a step forward, his shadow covering my form completely.

"He **can** win against you, Nakht," Merimose repeated, and Nakht glared darkly at the boy. I stepped between them just in case he wanted to lash out, and immediately the glare was directed towards me. He scowled.

"You seem around my 'right size'," Nakht said. "If you think you can beat me, then try. Right now, let's play a game. If I win, I get to disfigure that pretty face of yours."

"And if Timaeus wins, you leave us all alone!" Merimose shouted, and I quickly shushed him. It didn't seem like a good idea to instigate Nakht. His fists were clenched tightly, and having him hurt someone was not an option.

"Heh. What do you say, freak? Let's battle. And, to start off, I'll have you choose our challenge. You might not know them anyways. I have Mancala, Mehen, Knucklebones and-"

"No."

He immediately stopped listing the games he had and stared at me. I repeated my answer.

"No. I will not play against you."

"What did you just say?" he growled, and his fingers that he used to count off the games closed slowly. I glanced at Merimose when he urgently held on to the waist of my tunic. The other children had made a circle around us, looking even more fearful than before. However, there was a little spark of hope in their eyes, and it was that that kept me going.

"Timaeus…" Merimose trailed off, and I flashed him a reassuring look before returning my gaze to Nakht. It was my turn to glare at him.

"I refuse to play against someone who can't respect their opponents. I refuse to play against someone as irresponsible, arrogant, and pig headed like yourself." I believe I was being rather harsh and blunt about my thoughts, but at this moment I couldn't care. Who knew how long these children were being subjected to his intolerable ways. Someone should say something, and that someone had to be a person his own age. He wouldn't be easy to convince though.

"What?!" he said through clenched teeth, and immediately I received the reaction I always got when standing up to bullies. He punched me in the face before I could even see it coming, and in seconds I was on the ground.

"Timaeus!" Merimose shouted, and I sat up and gingerly held my nose. Taking a look at my fingers I saw that it was bleeding, but thankfully nothing felt broken. I looked up at Nakht to see him smirking down at me with satisfaction. I stood once more, Merimose holding my arm with worry.

"Want some more?" Nakht said, grinning. "The last person who dared to speak to me that way had to see a healer, for the next few weeks. I would be glad to put you in that position as well."

I gazed at him levelly and sniffed, instantly regretting it when more blood poured out of me. I wiped it away and flashed Nakht a dark look when he laughed at seeing my state.

"I don't care," I said. "You need to understand that what you're doing is wrong. If you want to play against them, treat them with respect. Stop being a bully. You're an adult, aren't you? Start behaving like one."

Although simple, that sent Nakht into a fit of rage. He hurled curses and grabbed me around the throat, a fist raised ready to strike me, only to suddenly freeze. Literally. His eyes went wide, and as I calmed my racing heart and looked at his trembling fist that was stopped mid punch, a familiar voice that I didn't think I would hear for a long time caused me to turn towards her.

"That is enough!" Mana shouted, her wand raised with a faint glow surrounding her. She was eyeing Nakht with anger and frustration. Now that she had our attention, her wand went back to her side as she approached us, and with a little incantation under her breath, we were able to move again. Nakht dropped me in seconds and we both stared, dumbfounded.

"Mana!" Merimose exclaimed happily, but Mana wasn't done. She continued to stare at Nakht, and he in turn said nothing. His eyes were on the sand, refusing to meet her powerful gaze that was once kind and welcoming when I met her.

"What were you doing?" she asked coldly, stopping before us. "That is not the way for someone of such upstanding lineage to behave. What were you trying to prove, Nakht? Your father is a great merchant, one of the palace's favourites, and here you are disgracing his name, dragging it through the dirt. You're behaving like a barbarian!"

"You don't understand," Nakht suddenly started to explain, and I looked at him, waiting to hear just what he was going to say in his defense. I was not surprised, and apparently Merimose wasn't surprised either because he let out a scoff.

"He was the one who started it. He came here to our village with ulterior motives. I just know it! Look at him. He's the disgrace and he should just-"

"Enough!" she yelled, and Nakht was silenced once more. "Don't try to tell me what happened, for I saw everything myself. Yugi here did nothing wrong to you. Weren't you the one ridiculing him and also ridiculing the Prince? What the nerve," she hissed lowly, and I could see the fear in his eyes. She continued.

"I should have stepped in as soon as it started, but no. I wanted to see if you were able to understand from someone other than your father and myself. However, it's clear now. You are incapable of changing your ways no matter who speaks about it to you. Every time I enter the village, you're the one raising trouble." She pointed and finger at him. "This is the last warning. If you continue your slandering and your disgraceful attitude, I won't hesitate this time to put you before the Pharaoh himself."

By now, Nakht was evidently afraid, especially after hearing that he may have to be put before the Pharaoh for his disgusting ways. Serves him right though. If he wouldn't understand the easy way, he'll get the message the hard way.

"Yes, it won't happen again," Nakht said, his voice low, and with a wave of her hand she sent him away. After a moment of silence, everyone catching their bearings, I jumped slightly when Mana spoke once more, this time towards me.

"Will you be alright, Yugi?" she asked, and I pulled my hands away from my bleeding nose to look at her and give a small smile. I nodded hastily, still a bit dazed by what just happened. Now that it was over, it was kind of hard to believe it wasn't a dream. My nose said otherwise though.

"I'll be okay," I assured, and silence took over again. As I looked around, I felt my heart sink a bit upon seeing the other kids tidying up, most of them already gone, no doubt towards home.

"Wait a minute," Merimose's voice suddenly said, and both of our eyes turned to him. He was looking at us with confusion. He eventually focused his gaze on Mana and then spoke, his brows wrinkling. "His name is Timaeus, not… Yugi," he told her.

Hearing those words, reality returned and I slammed into it as if it was a brick wall. Dread ran through my system, followed with regret. Of course. How could I have forgotten? When I had met Mana at the Nile River, I had told her that my name was Yugi. I wasn't thinking properly when I told her my real name. Now what should I do? Lie. Lie, lie, lie and lie. _"Sorry, Mana."_

"Huh? Merimose, don't be silly. He told me his name is Yugi," she said, and she gave a little smile, letting out an amused giggle. Merimose wasn't convinced.

"What?" he questioned, and I couldn't hold it back any longer.

"It's true!" I suddenly said, yanking myself out of the blurry thoughts, and I looked up to see them both blinking, very much confused by my words. I laughed nervously, the sound of the cheers still going on behind me being drowned out by the heat that was rushing and taking over my head.

"Yugi is my nickname, back home," I explained, trying to sound as truthful as possible. "My real name is Timaeus Caelius. Sorry for the mix up. I guess the nickname slipped out easier than my real one during that moment. It's probably because I'm more used to it."

"Oh. That's understandable," Mana said after a while, and Merimose oohed silently to himself as my clarification sunk in. "Would you prefer it if we called you Yugi then?" Mana went on.

"Oh, no! No, no, Timaeus is fine. I prefer Timaeus, so please just refer to me as that." I chuckled, and I mentally smacked myself several times. I was a terrible liar. I hope it went through though. The last thing I needed was my real name wandering around the past. It wasn't even Egyptian, so it would be best to bury it.

"Okay," Mana said, and she continued to gaze at me. I could feel my heart floating by the look, but I pushed them away and focused on my nose that, thankfully, was starting to ease its dripping. I looked back up at her when she spoke yet again.

"That was really brave of you. Even though Nakht is twice your size, you held your ground."

I smiled and blushed with embarrassment by the compliment, but quickly shook my head. "Ah, it was nothing special, really. I'm just used to standing up to people like him, and seeing him act like that, I just had to say something."

She nodded and gave a little smile, her hands clasped tightly around her wand that was held infront of her. However, I felt a sense of graveness behind her eyes. Something was wrong. Her eyes were flickering all around her every so often, and she would let out a soft sigh, returning her gaze to the ground to hide it away. Like now, for example.

"Are you really good at games, like Merimose so recklessly tried to prove?" she asked with a smile, and my gaze faltered. I shrugged.

"I'm not that good," I admitted, but Merimose seemed to have wanted none of that.

"He is good!" the boy exclaimed, and he ran up to Mana. "He has never lost. Did you know that we've played tons of games together and he just understands it so fast?! And, he always beats me! I don't know whether he's just lucky all those times, or if he has special gaming skills. It's kind of magical!"

Mana warmly brushed his hair that was tickling his eyes out of his face and smiled. "That reminds me so much of the Prince," she said. "He's quite gifted too. Never seems to lose."

What?

"Wait, really?" Merimose suddenly exclaimed, and receiving a warning look from Mana, he lowered his voice. "Is the Prince really that good at games too?"

My eyes drifted up to her, and with my heart this time feeling as if it had stopped, I looked on as she nodded twice, a twinkle in her eyes as she and Merimose shared this supposed secret. I paid close attention.

"Yes, he is." She then looked back at me, and I gulped to hide the stunned expression. She continued. "I've never seen you play, but really, you do remind me so much of him. Especially just now with the way you dealt with Nakht."

To say my mind was blown would have been an understatement. All thought just drained out of my head like soup and vanished. I was at a complete loss for words to say anything after that large comparison. I was similar to the Nameless Pharaoh. Should that ease my worries a little? It should. I mean, Mana is friends with him too, and she's very kind. That has to say something.

"Hey, Timaeus!" Merimose yelled excitedly, and he grabbed my hand, bringing me back to earth. He didn't seem to notice my lost expression earlier. "What if you get so good, you practice very hard, that the Prince would like to play a game against you?"

"Merimose, don't be silly," I said abruptly, the thought scaring me much more than it should. Merimose however was still excited, and my fear and his excitement grew even more so when Mana then muttered that it was a possibility.

"You never know. It isn't rare for the Prince to search out his own _worthy_ opponents. He's done it before."

"Oh, c'mon," I said, trying to brush it off. "Like I said. I'm not that good." However, know that I was thinking about it, it didn't sound like a bad idea. It would give me a good chance to speak with the Prince and get into the palace, but the chances of that happening was impossible. There had to be a more logical way.

"You are good!" Merimose argued, and he glared playfully at me.

"Really. Merimose doesn't over-exaggerate. If he says you're skilled, then you probably are. You have quite a few qualities like the Prince, and I actually came over here thinking it was him for a second," and she chuckled lightly, shaking her head. She was smiling more freely now, but still I could see that there was something bothering her. And, she was a noble. Why would she be here… wait a minute!

"What do you mean you thought I was him?" I hastily asked. "Didn't he return home only two days ago?" and seeing the happiness on her face fade away to reveal the worry, I gritted my teeth and nibbled on the inside of my mouth out of frustration. How could he leave again so soon?

"Did he go again, Mana?" Merimose asked quietly, and Mana looked up, gathered some confidence, and nodded with a deep breath.

"Yeah. He vanished just under an hour ago. They sent people out to look for him because there's a chance he might still be right around here somewhere." She shrugged, and gave a very much fake smile. "I can't understand it sometimes. Why would he leave when the Pharaoh's Sed Festival is tomorrow?"

As she mulled about it and very evidently got sucked into her mind for a moment, breaking the strong discipline of her appearances she had over herself, Merimose didn't wait for her permission or anything like that to give her a comforting hug. Looking into his half lidded eyes, it was enough proof for me to see that he was greatly saddened upon seeing Mana so distressed, and it was at this moment did I truly realise that they really were close.

"Don't worry, Mana. I'm sure he's fine, and he'll get back home soon. He can't be that reckless, right?" Merimose murmured, and immediately his mouth was covered by Mana's hand.

"Shush, don't say such things out loud," Mana hurriedly said, her actions quick. He looked up at her innocently, not understanding what trouble he could have almost gotten himself into. She went on to explain after checking around us. Almost everyone had dispersed. There was hardly anyone around.

"You just said it yourself. You shouldn't slander anyone of the royal family like that. You can seriously get punished, and I don't want your family to get into trouble. Be careful," she warned, and Merimose nodded as she removed her hand. Her eyes were still wide with sudden worry, and she gazed down at Merimose with care.

"I'm sorry," Merimose whispered, and Mana let out a sigh and patted his head.

"It's alright. For now, I think it's best if you go home," and as she said that, she turned to me. "Timaeus, please. With the Prince gone and your similarities to him quite strong, I don't want you to go through unnecessary troubles. If the guards see you they will stop you in belief that they had spotted the Prince."

"Yes, I understand," I said, nodding.

"And Meri, don't worry. After the festival I'll be sure to stop by and visit. I know it has been a long time," Mana went on, and she stepped away from Merimose who had returned to my side. He nodded, smiling even though it was a bit forced before returning to my side dejectedly.

Waving to us one last time, Mana went off in the direction she had come from, walking down the street and behind the white canopy stalls to meet with two other guards that had been surveying the area. It seemed that they hadn't spotted me through the crowd and the stall, so now would be a good time to skedaddle, especially since they were distracted by talking to a group of villagers.

"C'mon, Merimose. We should head back," I said, and turning towards him, I smiled softly as he lifted one finger up to me before rushing off towards his friends that were seemingly just about to leave themselves.

As I watched the boy's interact happily with each other, Nour grabbing him around the neck tightly, I suddenly felt my heart drop. It became hard to breathe as I whipped my head around to find the source of the eyes that were staring at me so intently. I scanned every inch of the area carefully with wide, scared eyes, only to come across no one no matter how hard I looked.

Still feeling quite perturbed, I couldn't stop looking around to ease my worries and to find the source. I didn't stop until Merimose tugged at my tunic and rose a teasing brow to ask me what was wrong. I smiled back though to erase him concerns, and we walked away without another word. However, as soon as I turned away, I felt it again. It was very possible that Priest Set was around somewhere. He followed me on a few occasions. It had to be. I was always able to sense him, but… this time felt different. This time the gaze was much more intense.

* * *

 **Yes! There we have it. The end of a great chapter, right? I sure hope it is fine. Again, some parts are repetitive and it may seem badly put together. That's because my entire plan for this chapter went right out the window. I managed to end it how I needed it, but still, it may seem choppy. Anyways. Surely there are other errors, so be free to point them out and give constructive criticism!**

 **IMPORTANT~**

 **Now, as you all must know already… Our dear Pharaoh will be making his debut in a little while. The problem is… I have no idea what to do! I know where the plot is going to go. I know when, who, what, how and everything that will happen after we hit the climax of the story. What I don't know is how to BUILD Yugi and Atem's bond. I don't want to give away too much, so I'm trying not to say a lot. But, after Yugi meets Atem, I need there to be a FRIENDSHIP between them before chaos ensues. So, your part. I would LOVE if you all can shoot me some ideas as to how I can get these two to be close. Yugi is a "villager" and Atem is a Prince. How can a bond be created between these two? Please share some ideas. Hopefully they can inspire me. Thank you so much beforehand!**

 **Again, thank you for reading and supporting this story. I'm truly grateful.**

 **Bye~**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everyone! Heh… I've returned! (How long has it been? Since July? Almost four months… Yikes.) Very sorry for the severely long delay. The reason? I guess it was my drive. I had no will to write for some reason. I think my will is back, for now, and hopefully it stays for a longer period. Also, it might be that I had no idea WHAT to write. I got stuck… So. I made a drastic change of plans. I hope you all like the surprise, because it's in this chapter. xD To be honest thought I wrote the second half the same day I last updated. O.O**

 **Thank you all so much for your patience. I hope I haven't lost any of you… -awkward laugh-**

 **REVIEWS~**

 **I will just do a big one for everyone! Thank you all those who reviewed. Many of you gave your input as to how Yugi and Atem should bond, and really, THEY WERE AWESOME IDEAS! It really got my brain flowing~ I believe I have formed an idea with your help. No idea is too meaningless. Even from the little ones, I just had to go "woaaah". Haha.**

 **I'm also glad to see that you all are really enjoying the story. I know, it might have been slow at the beginning, but now the Pharaoh will be making his debut soon so we should be up and going with excitement! Really, I'm not too fond of mystery stories, so it's quite astonishing to see that I've written one! Heck, I didn't even think it was a mystery until one of you said it. :D**

 **i - I have read your wonderful suggestions, and have made my corrections to chapter 15. Hopefully they are up to standards! And, I will try my best to be poetic. That is a problem I'm aware I have. There's no… flow and sweetness. I guess I may be too blunt with my words. I will try my best though.**

 **Thank you all for your wonderful help!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 16

* * *

After a long and tiring wait, the day had finally arrived. The Sed Festival was here.

The Pharaoh was considered a living God to the people of Egypt. They were respected and feared, honoured and worshipped alongside many of the other Gods they believed in. When they sat upon the throne, surely the Egyptians felt absolutely safe- especially when the Pharaoh was one who controlled magic like none ever before. That was why the Sed Festival had to be created. When the Pharaoh held the throne for over thirty years, his hard work was celebrated, the people praying that he hold the throne for many more years to come, and him thanking the Gods and paying tribute to them for allowing his continuous rule.

I never could have thought, dreamed, that one day, I would witness this grand of a festival in person myself.

I took a deep breath, relishing the smell of the crisp air that wafted around me. Feeling the soft breeze against my skin and the warmth of the sand between my toes caused goosebumps to appear on my arm as I walked through the morning darkness. My insides however seemed to have disappeared, replacing themselves with butterflies that threatened to lift me off my feet and carry me off into some trippy dream in the sky.

Everything was so unreal. It was so mystifying, and absolutely insane all at the same time. I was living in a world that happened thousands of years ago. I met with those people, talked to them, fought with them and for them, befriended some. I even lived their life. I wore what they did, I ate what they ate, and I worked almost as hard as they worked. And in this time period, I even had the opportunity to witness creatures that were considered make-believe during my time. I was seeing magic, real magic, happening before my very eyes. This was what I had always wanted. Now it was all coming true.

It scared me, because hanging just on the other side of that scale was the " **how"** I got here, the **"why"** continuing to echo loudly in my mind with the end far from sight.

I had to remind myself that I was sent to this world for just one purpose, and that was to save the Nameless Pharaoh. The Nameless Pharaoh who was just discovered, and already sending a bolt of fear down the spines of archaeologists. He was so mysterious, said to be among one of the most feared Pharaohs. It was understandable for me to be terrified of finally going face to face with him after such a long wait, but I consoled myself with the gut instinct I had before. Maybe, just maybe, there was more to his story and we just haven't been able to uncover it yet.

My eyes hardened with confidence as I lifted my head and stared into the dark horizon, the moon offering the last bits of his light before the glorious sun raised herself into the sky, enveloping the world with her rays. I closed my eyes briefly, the silence that surrounded us as we walked to the palace wrapping around my form softly, comfortingly.

My fingers tightened themselves around the two sacks of vegetables I had slung over my back, and I opened my purple irises once more. Instead of the sand, I returned my gaze towards my three companions. Ramose, Merimose and Senisonbe walked ahead of me, each of them as soundless as the night. They were dressed nicely, wearing the tunics Senisonbe had sewed using whatever free time she had. She even made the reed slippers we all now wore, including the jewellery she painted herself. We were going into the palace, so being presentable in case we came across any nobles while we worked was important, especially on the day of the Sed Festival.

I smiled gently, my eyes lingering on the little grins Senisonbe shot Ramose's way, Merimose giggling a little, bringing an odd sense of ease after the quiet. To see them so relaxed after the weeks of hard work for this day alone was really rewarding. Hopefully all of their hard work paid off.

As I stared, I was caught by Merimose who suddenly turned around to glance at me. I had fallen behind them quite some time ago. Our eyes met, and immediately he slowed down with a knowing smile on his face, shaking his head at me. We walked together after I had caught up, and neither of us said a word.

During the walk though I found myself glancing over at him a few times. Every so often he would shift the big bag he had to hold from one arm to the next. A frustrated frown would appear as well, and as I continued to watch, I saw that in the end he decided to throw it over his shoulder to get that grip. I could tell that it was heavy for him, but if I offered to hold it, it would be as if I was stabbing his pride. The bad was ruining his nice tunic too. Contemplating, I decided to just brush off the spot of dust on his back, and in return I got a reassuring glance.

A few moments later, my eyes inevitably dropped back down to my feet. I still couldn't believe it. I was really going to finally go into the palace and meet the one I was sent here for. I should be on the verge of peeing myself, but I found no more place for nervousness after the mini heart attack I went through minutes before we left, only half an hour ago. Truly, those minutes was the most nerve-wracking, cruelest moment I have ever had the displeasure of going through.

I had woken up hours before dawn upon hearing soft murmurs. At first I thought it was my mind going crazy, but when it continued, I had to open my eyes wider and consider the possibility that what I was hearing was actually there. I peered over to Merimose to see if he was awake too, only to feel my heart drop somewhere in my gut when the boy was not in his bed at all. Immediately I heard his voice outside, and I was frozen to the cot when my memory reappeared. It was the Sed Festival! Senisonbe was telling Merimose to pack the bread properly, and Ramose was telling them to hurry, as they needed to leave soon.

I on the other hand sat up, completely ready to puke from fear, confusion, and worry. I didn't know what to do. They were all about to leave for the palace, and since they didn't wake me as well, did it mean that they were not planning on taking me? It was horrible. Sitting there, thinking that everything I was hoping for achieving going down the drain… it really fatigued me. However, my heart soared with relief when Merimose finally entered the room and urgently told me to get ready. I jumped out of bed so fast that my head spun and I stopped remembering things until I walked out of the door with them, given my own set of bags to carry.

It turned out though that they just needed an extra pair of hands. Thank goodness I were those hands.

"We're here," Merimose suddenly said, and slightly startled out of my trip down memory lane, I jerked my head around to see the walls surrounding the palace rising up before me.

It was dark.

A hollow pit replaced the organs in my torso, and the warmth I felt suddenly dispersed. I didn't know what it was. Just, it was something. Something about the palace made me uneasy. It felt as if something evil lurked within its walls, pouring out of the cracks and enveloping the entire structure like a dark fog. As if in a story, I felt that I was unprepared to face the monster.

" _No, that's crazy talk!"_ I thought, quickly reprimanding myself. What was I thinking? It was just my nerves getting the best of me. It was still dark out. Anything would feel scary at night. I wasn't afraid of the palace when I saw it during the day, so it was just my nerves. I was the one running myself senseless.

Dealing with the unreasonable side of me, I took another look up at the palace which was slightly hidden behind the large walls. For one, it definitely did look like a palace. So royal, so strong, radiating an unknown source of pride. … I just had to stop myself. Was that weird? How could a building show strength?

"Timaeus, it's your first time entering. Are you excited?" Merimose whispered eagerly to me, and I looked at him and nodded firmly after a while. In the end, I was excited. Very excited.

"Are you excited, Meri?" I asked. "This is your first time too," and Merimose returned a vigorous nod.

"Very," he said brightly, but as he turned to look at his father, the glow disappeared and was replaced with confusion and worry. Seeing the change, I rose a brow too and turned to see what the cause was.

Ramose had stopped walking all of a sudden. He looked panicked, a frown plastered on his face along with fear. Senisonbe was looking at him with concern as he hastily counted the bags we all had, and started re-checking what was in them. He was scratching his beard, completely fidgety.

"What's wrong, Father?" Merimose asked, and Ramose took a glance towards the palace gate that was guarded.

I looked too, and noticed four guards standing watch. There was also four gate-houses. One at each side of the gate, and two more, slightly smaller ones, at the corner of the walls. The palace was definitely heavily guarded. I turned back to Ramose who gestured for me to give him my sack, and as I gave it to him he hastily opened it. Ramose returned it a few seconds later, paler than before.

"What? Did you forget something?" Senisonbe asked quietly, and at that Ramose nodded. A hand went to his head with despair.

"I felt that something was amiss, but I don't know why I ignored the feeling," he groaned lowly. "Oh Ra… I can't believe I forgot."

"Forgot what?" Merimose asked.

"I forgot to pick up the bread," Ramose exclaimed. "Now what are we going to do? There has to be bread at the feast."

"But you did pick it up," I suddenly said, and all of their attention was turned towards me. Ramose had picked up all of the bags. He counted them and everything before we left. "You gave us all our share to carry, and you picked up the last four and walked out the door after us, only…" My eyes widened, the memory playing itself out in my mind, "…only to put it down near the wall to lock the door."

My heart sank.

"I knew it," Ramose hissed, and he rubbed his forehead, letting out a suffering sigh. "I guess I'll just have to go back and get it then."

"If you leave, we won't be able to get into the palace," Senisonbe said to him, and he looked at her with even more anxiousness.

"What shall we do now then?" he murmured, and seeing the conflicted expressions, I knew I just had to help.

"I can go back and get it," I offered.

Once more, all of them looked at me with surprise.

"Really, I don't mind," I insisted.

"Then how will you get into the palace walls?" Merimose wondered.

"Well, I could return to the gates to get you," Ramose said. "If I tell them that you're supposed to be with us, helping with the festival preparations, you should be able to get in. I've been serving them for years, and I'm well acquainted with the guards. Everything should be fine."

I nodded with agreement, even though I wasn't too sure about the " _should_ " part. But, for the sake of the family I had to risk it. I didn't really like the idea of Merimose or Senisonbe wandering off again through the village to get the bag anyways, especially since it was still pitch black outside. It wouldn't be right to me, even if they do know the entire village like the back of their hands.

"Okay," I confirmed. "I'll go get it."

Ramose let out a sigh of relief, looking at me with eyes that were now free of worry.

"Thank you, Timaeus," he said, and nodding once more, I smiled and watched as they began walking towards the gate. Merimose flashed me another concerned look. I reassured him with a wave of my hand and a tiny grin before turning away, staring at the village. My smile disappeared, and I slumped my shoulders.

It was going to be a long walk back.

I didn't waste any time. I quickly began walking through the sand and towards the edge of the village. Since the palace was a short distance away from the village, there was just a stretch of land with nothing but sand separating the two. Maybe it was used whenever there was a gathering or a ceremony of some sort at the palace, or maybe it was used just to give some room between the two. Either way, the walk back into the village seemed to take forever.

It was getting chillier, and with no structures to protect me, I was at the mercy of the air that now whipped against me. Whatever happened to the nice wind just a few minutes ago? Oh well, there was nothing I could do about it now. I pouted childishly and gazed up at the sky before looking back at the village. It was still dark and void of all life when I entered. People were still sleeping, except for the few that I heard within their homes. Not everyone could afford to sleep in after all. Many would be up during this time, all making their own preparations for the celebrations.

It would have been fun to just enjoy it today like everyone else. Unfortunately, every time I found myself with nothing to do, I would be thrown into some kind of vision or come across something that would leave me with more questions than answers. That was why I spent some time before going to sleep simply wishing for Shadi to appear and give me some answers.

I needed guidance. All the things I learned on my own about the Nameless Pharaoh were unimportant to me supposedly rescuing him. They held little to almost no clues as to what I had to save him **from** and just who he truly is as a person. Heck, I haven't even seen him yet, though that may change when I finally entered the palace.

I did have one opportunity to find out more about him. Mana was a good source. I could have asked her. In the end I decided against it. It would have been odd interrogating her about him. She was strict when it came to responsibilities and upholding the pride of the royal family. She would get suspicious due to my endless amount of questions. Anyone would be suspicious of me, so how could I find answers? It was too complicated.

Scrunching my face as the thoughts brought me to the brink of agitation, I pushed them away and tried to focus on the task I was given. There was no point dwelling on things I couldn't control. I just had to get the bag and hurry back to the palace, and hopefully there I might gather some information. How much closer could I get to the answers? Shadi told me to just be me, and everything will reveal itself on its own time. I just had to follow that.

Curving through the opened area where the houses all faced each other just at the edge of the marketplace, I slowed and searched for the small street Ramose had used earlier. He explained to me that it was a shortcut to the palace. Who would have thought that it would come in handy for me so soon? Besides, it was still dark and I was all alone. However, I shouldn't have to worry about any thieves. Morning was soon here, so surely they must have scurried away back to whatever hole they came from, therefore leaving the village free of the nightly dangers. Taking the path shouldn't be dangerous.

Mind made up, I entered the slightly narrow walkway. It was shrouded in shadows because it was tucked away and squashed between the back-sides of the houses. It was fine. I was still able to see where I was going, and in just a few minutes the shortcut proved its purpose. I exited, glad to see Ramose's street right before me. I could actually see his house from where I stood.

I broke out into a happy jog, and as I got closer, I spotted the sack. I grinned. Just like I had thought, the bag sat next to the doorway slouched over like a sad little puppy. With a sigh I went over and fetched it, slinging it over my shoulder. The bread loaves were actually a lot heavier than I expected them to be, but I was able to carry it. The bread here was obviously a lot different from what I was used to. Weight as well. Adjusting it better on my shoulder, I gripped it tight and began the walk back.

The calming silence returned to the air, the harsh winds dying down momentarily again. My eyes were feeling droopy, but I smacked myself awake. Ramose and the others must already be preparing with the palace servants, so I had to get the as soon as possible. When the sun made its full appearance in the sky overhead, the festival would begin whether we were ready or not.

As I was walking though, I suddenly felt a familiar, horrible feeling creeping up within me. My stomach churned uncomfortably, and instinctively I found myself slowing down, trying to draw as little attention to me as possible. It was the same sensation I felt when someone was intently staring at me. Unlike the others however, this one was a little bit different. While the other two stares from Priest Set and the mysterious one during the game incident made me feel afraid, cold, and heavy, this one made me squirm. I was cringing and trying to make myself as small as possible while I walked, a part of me even screaming " _run_ ". It was as if this gaze was filled with nothing but untamed anger. The question now was "why"?

Feeling utterly daring, suicidal in fact, I took a chance and looked behind me, and it didn't take me long to spot a person following me closely. From the silhouette and haunting eyes alone I was able to recognise just who it was. It was Ameneman. He was lurking on the dark path, hiding not-so-secretly behind a stack of clay pots he dove behind as I turned around.

Slowly, I turned my head back around a d clutched the bag as if my life depended on it. My eyes were impossibly wide, and I could hear my heart picking up speed and thumping loudly inside my chest. I started to tremble with fear when I heard the shuffling footsteps in the sand behind me. I quickened my pace, refusing to turn around and face him directly.

Why was he following me? Merimose had told me that the man was insane, so could that be it? Could Ameneman just not be aware of what he's doing? Sweat dripped down my forehead. Either way, I wasn't going to stick around and find out what his intentions were.

I was speed walking now, trying to pretend that he wasn't there, when after a short moment I realised that his footsteps had suddenly vanished. I strained my ears to hear if I could catch the shuffles again, and it unnerved me endlessly when I still heard nothing. I risked another glance, and my suspicion was correct. Ameneman was gone, but that didn't put me completely at ease. I quickly scanned my surroundings, expecting him to be hiding somewhere, but I couldn't see anyone. I was alone once more.

Now I could calm down. Thank goodness. He was gone for now, but who knew when he would show up again. I continued my walk and tried as hard as I could to forget about him. Whatever he wanted, I would never know. His behaviour was so strange, and so unpredictable.

I couldn't help but scowl a little at myself when I remembered that at one point I thought the strange man would have been a person to go to for information about the Nameless Pharaoh. It was just that he knew so much about the palace, and from Merimose's story, Ameneman found something within those dark walls. However, thankfully, I eventually tossed the idea aside because there was the issue of validity. I couldn't trust his words because he was simply insane. As if just now wasn't proof of that already.

I could finally see the end of the path as I looked up. Getting a better grip on the bag, I was just about ready to sprint the rest of the way when suddenly a large shadow jumped out from within the darkness and stood directly infront of me. My heart reached my throat in a second, and I stopped where I stood.

It was Ameneman.

My heart racing, I tried to keep calm and eyed him carefully. I was at a loss. What was I to do now?

As I pondered hastily on my course of action, Ameneman gave me a hint, one that my gut told me earlier to do. His grimy face twisted into rage, and seemingly out of nowhere he produced a sharp-looking spear. My eyes shot open upon seeing it, and the sack dropped from my hands.

I quickly broke into a scurry when he came barrelling towards me loudly. I barely had time to react due to how sudden his move and speed was, and so in seconds I was knocked to the ground before I had a chance to run. I landed hard on my stomach, his heavy body flattening me completely.

I gasped, struggling desperately to get away, but to no avail. It was during this moment when I recalled Merimose's words that day in the market. Ameneman was a big and powerful-looking man. He may have lost some weight and muscle, but he was twice as large as I was. Still, I tried my best to fight back.

Ameneman gripped my arms in a crushing hold, turning and dropping me so that I was facing the sky, only to shove the spear towards my neck. Somehow I wrenched loose one of my hands and grabbed the spear. With all my strength I forced it back mere centimetres from my neck.

"Stop," I said lowly through my teeth, my breath almost gone, but in return I was met with his foul stench and a good look at his rotting teeth. My eyes only started to water, weakening my already poor state even further. I groaned, feeling things piercing me on the inside.

"You vile demon!" Ameneman spat, but I was too busy trying to get him off of me to contemplate his reason for cursing me.

I breathed through my teeth carefully until I found some strength. Using my leg as a leverage, I jabbed my knee into his gut and twisted my body around, somehow successfully throwing his body to the side. Instantly I sat up and scrambled to stand, but yet again he was quicker. He used the spear and tried to strike me, but luckily I dodged it just in time. I didn't know whether or not it was his plan from the beginning, because as soon as I swerved to the side, he kicked my leg, once more throwing me to the ground.

I cried out painfully and held my arm that had taken the brunt of my fall, and I could feel the throbbing sensation quickly taking over.

"Die, you snake! Stay away from here," and with each word, Ameneman thrusted the long spear towards me. In his haste and anger, he kept on hitting the same places in the sand. All I had to do was move, but when he pulled it away for the sixth time, I didn't decide to continue waiting it out. I rolled over and stood up, only to have him grab the collar of my tunic and lay a punch to my chest.

It felt as if my heart stopped for a couple of seconds, and with my mouth agape I struggled to breathe. I wheezed, my legs shaking. I was seeing black spots, but I blinked rapidly to get rid of them. I was not going to die or get injured in any way here. Not now anyways.

"Pl-Please, stop!" I managed to yell, but Ameneman didn't listen. With my eyes half closed he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer to him, his hands finding my neck and quickly wrapping themselves around it and tightening stiffly.

"You have no right to become King! I won't allow you to cause your chaos and destroy our Ra. Go back to the underworld, you filth!"

As he continued to spout things that I was currently unable to comprehend, only one word stuck in my mind. King? Who did he think I was?! Pushing that thought once more aside for now, I grabbed his hand and bit it as hard as I could. That got him to drop me, and I gasped heavily for breath yet again as he howled in pain.

My eyes locked on him. Ameneman… his insanity began during his stay at the palace, and since then he had been forever shouting slurs about the Prince, the Nameless Pharaoh. Is that who he thought I was? He thought I was the Prince!? He was trying to kill the Prince?! This wasn't good. Not good at all.

"Look, I am not the Prince," I tried to explain, standing, hoping the he would stop. I was backed up into a corner. There was nowhere for me to run. I had to talk my way out of this. "I'm not the Prince. I only look like him."

Upon hearing my words though, Ameneman's eyes turned towards me and just flashed sinisterly. He gave me a wolfish, toothy grin.

"You're right. You can't be the Prince. You can't be the future Pharaoh. You can't become anyone! I won't allow you to bring destruction to Egypt, therefore, I will have to kill you here myself," he roared, and in a second he grabbed his spear and charged.

I gulped, feeling my body quivering with fear. I was frozen to the spot, unable to move until he was a foot away from me. I swerved out of the way, trying my hardest to run around him. I was too slow though. My legs refused to work. I received another punch, this one to my face that shot me to the ground. And as I laid there, I came to a distressing realisation. I was exhausted. All of my energy was spent.

Helplessly I turned my head to face him, and I drowned in regret when I saw him lift the spear, prepared to stab me straight on. "Please," was all I could whimper, and when he brought it down, my vision of him disappeared. I had shut my eyes instinctively, but when I felt no pain, I reopened them and looked up.

A dark silhouette infront me was the one that hid Ameneman from view.

Blinking blearily, I tried to get my vision to stop showing me glittering spots of light, and as they did, I pushed myself into a half sitting position. What had happened? Looking up, I immediately noticed the worn sickle sword that was clasped tightly in my unknown rescuer's hand. He was unknown because around his head and shoulders was a long linen cloth that hid him completely from view. To make him seem even more secretive, the darkness further hindered me from seeing his face.

I sat straight up with a start when I then noticed the amount of force he was using to stop Ameneman's wild attack, but that suddenness of sitting up only caused me to gasp as a sharp pain shot through my chest. I trembled, groaning lowly.

"Go," the person simply said in a soft yet firm voice, and as I looked up at him with surprise and an overwhelming amount of gratefulness, his head turned slightly towards me. He was still hidden, but he gestured with his head down the street.

I wanted to thank him, but of course couldn't hesitate. Ameneman was not down. He was only holding him off for me to escape, so therefore I had to run with my tail tucked between my legs. Standing up with some difficulty, I took notice of the fallen sack, consequently remembering my task, and quickly picked it up. Just as I was about to take off though, I couldn't help but steal one more glance at him.

As soon as he had appeared, something familiar tugged within my heart. The sensation pained me and gave me comfort all at the same time, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from, or why. Just who was he?

My question seemed to have been answered because he suddenly moved his hand and pushed Ameneman back as the other tried to shove him away, and the movement revealed a golden band around his upper arm.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, casting its first glow across the land, I caught it. I caught the glint of a few hieroglyphics engraved on the gold, sparkling as if they were symbols presented to me from the sun itself. As I ran down the street, my body aching, my mind only swam with the translation. It seemed to be a name. His name.

 _Atem._

* * *

 **Ahhh! There we have it! I hope this decision to introduce Atem like this was a good one. Of course, Yugi doesn't know that he's the Nameless Pharaoh as of yet. I think I will prolong that mystery for another chapter. :D**

 **I will try my best to update as soon as I can. I hope you all liked the chapter, and once more, very sorry for the severe wait. I hope I've made up for it.**

 **Tell me of my errors, because you know I enjoy reading about them. After all, I do want to improve!**

 **Thank you for reading, and please review~**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello~ First of all, thank you for the amazing reviews and love you've shown for the story. I can't thank you enough for the support! I wanted to give you all an early update, but I didn't realise how fast two weeks had gone by since my last update. Well, I guess this could also be considered early. Two weeks? That's gotta be a record. :D**

 **Anyways, I'm gonna say this next thing right away. Timaeus is not meeting the Prince in this chapter. Oh, don't worry though. They will meet VERY soon. I can't wait! That's why I'm doing this early. I want to get started right away. Sorry if I'm dragging their meeting on too long. Really, I am very sorry. The buildup is so annoying. So, I thank you for sticking with me through the severely long wait.**

 **REVIEWS~**

 **i – Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much! As always, your thoughts on the chapter brightens the lightbulb in my head. Really, I do feel anxious when I read your reviews, but don't say that you're putting too much pressure on me. I want to write to the best of my ability, and you are helping me do that. Please, don't say such awful things again! :) I really enjoy reading your reviews. I went back and made some corrections, and as always, I like the chapter even more! The beginning is different. I added more info, and I erased the repetition as much as I could. Also, I followed your idea of adding in more clues. I'm very excited to say that there may be a good chance of figuring out a huge part of the plot. The villain can be revealed if you add all that Ameneman shouts and Timaeus together. –fingers crossed- I wonder if you can figure it out! :D**

 **Lady Fai – Do not worry. There will be a game! I love writing this story, and I'm glad that you like reading it. Thank you~**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 17

* * *

Breathing heavily, I swerved through the streets and around houses, stumbling in the sand when it felt as if my legs were about to give away underneath me. I pushed onwards though, holding on to the sack with all my might as I made my dash towards the palace gates, not at all bothered by the trail of dust in the air as I passed.

My gaze turned upwards as a soft, cool wind passed by, and there I could see the ocean consuming the sky with its brilliant deep blue colour. My eyes returned to the distance ahead, and there I saw that it was not the ocean, but the coming of the sun that brought light into the dark sky. Her rays shot through the sky faintly, and around the yellow orb that peaked over the sandy horizon was a pink, orange mist that surrounded her. It glimmered suddenly for a second, and immediately I snapped my eyes shut as flash of gold appeared in my mind.

The gold band I had seen wrapped around the stranger's upper arm resurfaced, and so did the dull ache within me.

I slowed down until my feet dragged in the sand, and unconsciously a hand went to my heart as I stopped. A frown graced my face heavily, and I stood there, trying to remember why I felt so… heartbroken. It felt as if I had lost something very close to me, and in it I also felt a sense of failure and regret. Hopelessness. Yet, at the same time, I detected a lingering spark of hope. My heart fluttered as strong determination coursed through me, and that dull ache throbbed loudly, this time ringing with courage.

I stared out into the sand, looking at the palace gates that awaited me in the distance. Tall ivory pylons decorated with the wings of Ra, and statues as big as giants standing as if they were the palace's guards from beyond. An obelisk at either end stood even taller than the palace pylons. The sand shifted by the wind, creating perfect lines of mounds in the sand. All of these magnificent structures would remain there, waiting, with no one guessing that they will continue to wait in the same spot throughout the decades.

That was what I had to do as well. Wait, and not know when my purpose would end. I would feel something lost and feel what I had to gain, but never see it until the time came.

I closed my eyes as the regal attitude and the firm voice echoed in my mind. Just who was that mysterious stranger? This feeling appeared as soon as I laid eyes on him, and that alone told me that my past life was trying to tell me something for the first time. I must have surely known him all those millenniums ago.

One thing was for sure though. He was a noble of some sort. Only people of high ranks could afford to wear gold. As for his behaviour, it reminded me of… royalty.

My eyes widened and my body ran cold in mere seconds as the thought zipped through my mind. There was no way. Was it even possible? The person who saved me couldn't be the Prince! I started to pace, fretfully watching the palace and the village. My mind mulled on the idea, and within moments I came to a stunning realisation that my thought, had some validity.

 _Atem_ was just another name for _Atum_ , the name of the God of Creation. Atum was one of the most important and most mentioned deities in the earlier times. He was called the "complete one", the finisher of the world, the Ancient Egyptians believing that all things that existed ultimately were made of his flesh and or from his Ka. They say that he was the first god, creating himself from the waters. Atum was also associated specifically with the evening sun, while Ra was connected with the morning and midday sun. Atum was that important, so a person named after such a deity had to be as special.

" _Then again_ ," I couldn't help but think. Many Egyptians named their children after gods they worshipped. People were named after all sorts of things actually. Some names represented other things, and some were given simply because of their meaning. No name was specified to a certain group of people. Even Pharaohs were not restricted from choosing a simple name.

Therefore, Atem could be anybody. He could be the Prince, but at the same time he might not be. For all I knew he actually was just a noble, and I wouldn't be surprised. The Sed Festival was today and many people all over the country would be arriving to celebrate.

Shaking my head with a sigh, I skidded my way down the slight slope and started to walk towards the palace. I could see the four guards from earlier still standing watch, and as their eyes dropped on me, the stares brought me nothing but discomfort. I was even more unnerved when I noticed that Ramose was nowhere in sight.

Throughout the weeks I had spent in this world, I understood that I looked a lot like the Nameless Pharaoh. People bowed as they first saw me, others standing with fear and staring at me with utter confliction. At one point I was even told to hide, by Mana, because I may be mistaken for the runaway Prince. As for Priest Set… well, he made it perfectly clear the day we locked eyes that he was not fond of me and how I look.

Yes. Although my appearance caused a lot of trouble for me, thankfully it was something that I could explain to people. After knowing that I was just a look-alike of the Prince, that I was from Greece, and the most obvious difference being my skin tone, the villagers who chose to listen would give me relieved sighs and weary smiles. So, just how was I supposed to explain such a thing to none other than the palace guards?

"Who are you?!" one shouted as soon as I was within ten feet from them, and he thrusted his spear towards me. I glanced at the next three and noticed that they too took up a familiar stance, but still I tried my best to remain calm.

When coming here, I didn't pretend that everything would go smoothly and that I would be let inside without no questions. I knew this would happen, so I came prepared. My explanation would not persuade the people who dedicated their life to protecting the palace and the royal family. That was why all I could do now was make myself clear to them and hope for the best. Besides, Ramose was not around to help me out if things went south.

"My name is Timaeus Caelius," I responded loudly, and I sweat-dropped when I heard the shakiness in my voice. The guards took a step closer to me, but I refused to give up. "I'm supposed to be here with Ramose and his family, helping them with the Sed Festival preparations."

They continued to look at me sternly.

"With Ramose, huh?" the one threatening to maim me wondered out loud, and I looked on as he turned his head towards the guards behind him and gestured to one of them. The one he glanced at straightened- seemingly understanding what he was told to do- and immediately ran inside.

I watched dejectedly as the gates closed behind him, but feeling the stares the guards sent my way removed the feeling. I gulped. Of course these guys would stare at me in such a suspicious way. They were probably thinking that I was trying to kill the Prince and take his place or something, just like what that bully Nakht assumed. It made sense for them as guards to be cautious, but the thought of being locked away in the dungeons worried me immensely.

Time kept on ticking by, and with no other choice but to wait in the heavy silence, I scowled. I immediately winced when my throbbing cheek pulsed harder when I moved my mouth. I could feel the start of a nice swelling as I touched it gingerly, and the rest of my body was no doubt bruising perfectly as well. Everywhere was aching, and frankly it was starting to take most of my energy to stand.

I continued to gently prod and massage my swollen face to some extent to ease the pain when I heard the gate creaking open. My eyes snapped upwards, and there I saw the guards who had run in earlier.

"Do you know this man?" the guard asked in a hushed tone, and I sighed with relief as Ramose stepped out after him.

Ramose looked at the guard with confusion, but after turning his head and spotting me, he smiled. The more his eyes lingered on me however, the smile got smaller and smaller until nothing but concern took over his features.

"Timaeus, what happened to you?" he exclaimed, and he walked up to me, inspecting the slightly swelling skin that caused his eyes to get bigger. "All of these bruises?" he went on, and I felt a rush of embarrassment as he continued to survey my skin like a worried parent.

"Ramose, it's not as bad as it seems," I started to explain, and unsure of how to tell him what happened, I distracted him by giving him the sack of bread. "I got this though. Just as I thought, they were sitting outside next to the door."

"Oh, thank you, Timaeus," he said, taking it, and he put it back down beside him absentmindedly. He continued speaking, eyeing me intently. "What happened to you though? Who did this?"

He wasn't going to drop the question, and after understanding that, I just stood there, hesitating. My eyes dropped to the ground as I thought frantically, my lips forming incoherent words. How was I supposed to tell him that it was Ameneman who attacked me? As for the reason why Ameneman would do such a thing, I didn't think it would have been wise to say that he was actually trying to kill the royal Prince, heir to the throne, and not me at all. Yet, if I didn't say something, the Priests and Pharaoh Aknamkanon wouldn't know of Ameneman's actions. If something was to actually happen to the Prince, evil or not, that would kind of make it my fault, right?

I considered my options for a while more, and seeing that Ramose was still waiting for a reply, I decided to just tell him the truth.

"I ran into Ameneman while coming back…" I said quietly. As soon as the man's name left my mouth, the deep voice of one of the guards caught both Ramose's and my attention.

"Did you say Ameneman?!" he shouted with surprise, and I nodded uncertainly, Ramose and I both watching with trepidation as he approached us slowly.

"He's still alive? I thought he had died," another said, and the guards all looked at me with a mix of confusion and mild surprise.

"Either way," Ramose said, cutting them off as he returned his gaze to me, "Why would Ameneman do this to you? He had never tried to hurt anyone before. Atleast, as far as I'm aware of."

"It's because he thought that I was the Prince."

Silence.

"What?!" they all cried, and I had no other choice but to nod mutely. I knew it would be a shock to them.

"It's true," I went on. "He came out of nowhere and started to attack me. I'm still not sure if he knew I wasn't the Prince, but Ameneman's actions were clear. He was ready to kill at all costs. That much was obvious from the way he spoke. And, he would have actually killed me too if it wasn't for someone rescuing me just in time."

"I can't believe this," Ramose whispered to himself after another thundering moment of silence, and I just sighed. The weight that was in my stomach only deepened. To have all of these problems crop up on the day of the festival was terrible.

"We need to tell the Pharaoh about this," one of the guards hissed angrily. "Ameneman has gone too far! Such atrocities against the Prince? No, it's unforgivable."

"I didn't think he would have the courage to try assassinating the Prince," another whispered, and all I could do was watch helplessly.

"I will notify the Pharaoh as soon as possible. Thank Ra that the Prince is actually in the palace tonight," the guard went on to say, and he exhaled in relief.

I found myself nodding to his statement, a part of me disappointed. Like the guard said. The Prince was within the palace that night, so therefore the person who saved me could not have been the Prince. On the other hand though, it didn't mean that I would forget about my supposed savior. My insides still twisted, urging me to figure out who he was. I could not afford to ignore him.

"Anyways, is it alright if Timaeus enters the palace now?" Ramose asked, and I looked up with a start. The guards too stopped talking after hearing Ramose's voice, and glancing at me, the one who seemed to be the leader among them nodded his head.

"Yes, please. You may enter," he allowed, and with his hand he ordered the gates to open once more.

"Thank you," Ramose said as he picked up the sack, and glancing at me, he gestured for me to follow.

"Thank you," I said as well, and as we walked closer towards the gate, I stared up in utter awe as the palace slowly came into view.

No matter the time period and the country, palaces were recognised as the living quarters of the royal family and their staff. The palace was always a grand building, each one varying in different colours and styles, each one filled with their own relics and treasures and stories. It was no surprise that the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt would have the same, but to me it was much more enchanting to enter a palace that had stood thousands of years ago.

I stepped into the main courtyard, and goosebumps shot up my arms as I laid eyes upon the structure before me. Smooth, ivory coloured stone was what I treaded upon carefully as I turned my gaze to the sky, taking in the huge walls and the large doorway split right down the middle towards what seemed to be the inner courtyard. My hands itched to touch the walls and trace my fingers across the elegant carvings upon them, all painted with reds and blues, yellow and green to enhance the beautiful designs. Even the garden that surrounded me was pretty. Tall palm trees grew on either side of me, creating shade on the small patch of grass that grew underneath.

I smiled with childish glee. I had learned about the palaces of Ancient Egypt quite a bit during my studies, so I wasn't completely surprised and or confused. The palace's layout was quite simple, to me. The building was a rectangular shape, the same shape many of the other Egyptian palaces took- especially around the end of the fourth millennium. High walls became common as the years grew on, and each was decorated with rich panels and statues. They represented certain Pharaoh's, a specific God, or even animal at times. However, unlike the homes of the villagers which were created using dried mud, the palace was built completely out of stone.

The Ancient Egyptians constructed their pyramids, tombs and temples with stone because stone was the most durable of all building materials. There was no arguing with that logic. Thousands of years into the future, many of the buildings built using stone continued to stand, despite suffering through earthquakes and wars and nature itself during the long time period. That achievement couldn't have been met without the large workforce of trained craftsmen and workers, along with the great engineering and architectural skills the Ancient Egyptians possessed. How they went about building these wonders with the simple tools they had would continue to be a mystery, but they were successful none the less.

"Timaeus, come this way," Ramose called out, and I turned my head to look at him. He was walking towards the side of the palace, passing around the line of pillars that held up the ceiling of a pathway which led to the back. I followed him, noting the simple carvings and the plants and vases that decorated the shaded walkway. We didn't continue down there though. We returned into the sun on the other side, and it was there where we started to walk to the back.

"The servant quarters are behind the palace," Ramose informed me as we walked along the slowly heating sun, and I nodded, watching as the shadows of the pillars grew taller and taller.

The servants did not live within the palace. They lived and did most of their work in a second building that was usually built behind the palace or at the sides in some cases. The kitchen was located there, along with the workshops, most of the storage, and depending on the layout even the stables were kept there. If the stables wasn't connected to the servants building, then it was just a short distance away.

The shaded pathway ended some time back after leading towards a separate door. All that I could see now was the continuation of the delicate carvings and paintings on the smooth wall. I craned my head upwards to see windows at the top, and there I also saw two small balconies protruding from the wall. My eyes widened. How could there be balconies so high up? I had always thought that the palaces were only one floor buildings. Yet, was it possible that this palace held two floors? I thought deeply about it as we continued to walk, but my mind only came to one conclusion that made sense to me.

The palace of Pharaoh Aknamkanon still wasn't discovered in the future, so there was no way for archaeologists to be certain that _**all**_ of the palaces were one floor. If we had already discovered this palace in the future, then it would have been known that some palaces had many levels. It would have been enough proof. The Ancient Egyptians were known for being severely advanced in architectural fields. And besides, stairs wasn't something created around my time anyways.

That was why I shouldn't be surprised. This entire era was quite similar to what I've learned, but it was also very different at the same time. I had to remind myself that this was a time where magic was at its peak. Anything was possible.

"There it is," Ramose said, and he motioned forwards with his head towards the long building that stretched from one side of the palace walls to the other.

The rear of the palace reminded me of a backyard. A very large backyard where there was just sand instead of grass, littered with a couple palm trees on the edges. The sand went on for a few feet, so we spent some time walking across it towards the servant quarters. I noticed that there were several entrances into the building, but Ramose led the way to the opening that was closer to us. My mouth made a small O shape as we approached the entryway, and my eyes immediately turned to the roof of the building, taking in the dried mud ceiling and the stone walls. We entered the mouth and turned a sudden sharp corner before entering through a thick door. We stood now in a small hallway, and in seconds my excitement vanished.

A foul stench smacked into me as soon as I entered the building. My hand went up to cover my nose as I looked around the dark room, and before me I saw two small openings on my right and a single larger opening on my left. The opening on the left surely led to the sleeping area, storage, and so forth.

As my eyes lingered around the room, I noticed that it wasn't so dark on the inside. The sun was slowly seeping its way through the windows, and the places where the sun didn't reach was illuminated by small oil lamps. The building was tiny, but airy at the same time. Cool air wafted through the windows, and I breathed slightly as the wind took some of the odd smell away. It remained, and my nose wrinkled with disgust. It smelled like a dead carcass.

Ramose entered one of the doors, and so following him, I was caught off guards by the amount of people that bustled about the small room. I didn't recognise anyone except for two.

"Timaeus!" Merimose shouted as soon as he saw me, and I smiled as the boy jumped off the stool he was sitting on to rush over to me. "You made it!"

"Yes, I did," I chuckled, and I returned the hug, only for us to break away when Senisonbe called for him loudly.

"Merimose?!" she exclaimed with confusion and anger, and we both looked over to see the bowl Merimose was supposed to be holding left on the floor. The washed vegetables were dripping from Senisonbe's hand and towards the ground, leaving wet splatters. Senisonbe shot the boy a dark look.

"Oh, sorry," Merimose said, and he stuck his tongue out apologetically to himself. He was just about to run back to her when stopped, slowly turning back around. His eyes went straight for my battered skin.

"Timaeus, what happened to you?" Merimose cried, and as he picked up the bowl, he gave me a worried look. I smiled widely and tapped the swell gently.

"Oh, hah… well, when I was coming back I accidentally fell and hit my face on a bench. I wasn't looking where I was going, I guess."

Merimose's eyes shot open, and I even saw Senisonbe turn to cast me a concerned gaze… along with the female servants who were there as well. They heard what I said and I internally sweat dropped when I heard their surprised yelps upon seeing me. I doubt it was because of my injuries.

"It wasn't too bad, so don't worry. It doesn't hurt!" I continued, and I could hear Senisonbe taking some time to explain things to the maids. They calmed down, but yet they still gave me uncomfortable looks here and there.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Merimose asked, and I nodded.

"Positive."

His lips pressed together tightly as he continued to stare at me, but he eventually sighed, returning his attention to Senisonbe to hold the bowl for her. Really, I felt bad lying to him, but there was no need for me to worry him more by saying the truth. It was too complicated to explain a second time, so it was easier just to say a little white lie. It wasn't going to hurt him, and truthfully, the swelling and bruises didn't hurt so much anymore. It would feel nice to have an icepack to put on it though, but that was obviously impossible.

"Timaeus, come with me," Ramose called out from behind me, and glancing at him as he put the sack down against the wall, I sent Merimose a little wave before leaving. Ramose took me to the other doorway. "The ladies will handle this side of things. We need some help over here," he explained to me, and as we got closer to the other doorway, the sickening smell got stronger and a whole lot worse.

"As you can see, we have a lot to do," Ramose said, and he walked into the room. Feeling my stomach about to leave me, it almost did when I entered right after him and got a good look at the scene.

Dead, skinned animals, already chopped up into huge chunks was what sat in the middle of the room. They were absolutely red. Fresh meat, was what it was, sitting in a pool of blood. And surrounding it were around seven men who each sat there, diligently hacking the meat apart with all of their might. I stared with horror, the fear increasing when Ramose got closer to them and ushered me to follow him.

This kitchen was similar to the first one. The first one had small counters made out of stone and wood which lined two of the walls, while shelves covered the other two. They were packed with a few sections of what seemed to be grains and vegetables, some bowls as well for immediate use. This kitchen on the other hand was just about the same size. They had the same counters, but these ones a lot thicker, wider and longer. And instead of shelves, there was the opened spot where the floor slanted a bit downwards. It was surely to drain the blood and take it outside, because just at the bottom of the slant was a thin, long opening.

"Hey, Ramose, you're back! Great. We need to start separating these and sending them to get cooked. We're running out of time," one of the men told Ramose as we approached, and I slowly inched my way towards them. I squirmed, seeing one of the men burst open what seemed to be some animal's guts. Grey muck spilled out. Ramose however nodded, crouching down and grabbing what seemed to be the animal's chest without any hesitation.

I struggled to breathe as I looked on, and I noticed a variety of different birds, all skinned of their feathers, and the big animal that looked like an ox. The decapitated wings and heads were proof of that, and knowing my thought was real made the sick feeling even worse. I couldn't help but wonder how much longer I would be able to last standing in the room.

"Timaeus, could you get me that bowl over there?" Ramose asked, turning back slightly, and I nodded queasily, fetching one of the large clay bowls that sat in the corner of the room. I took it over and set it down beside him, and as I did, a few of the men turned to glance at me.

I've gotten so used to the stares that whenever I went somewhere, I expected the usual shock and surprise. These men on the other hand, said nothing. They just looked at me for a few seconds before resuming what they were doing. It confused me, but in the end it was a lot less trouble. For once my appearance wasn't going to be a headache here. Though, a part of me guessed that Ramose had something to do with their lack of questions. He was here earlier. Maybe he gave them a heads up about me already.

"What's with that sick look, boy?" the man next to me asked, and with a start I turned to him. I jumped once more when he chopped the bone infront of him in half, cutting away at it as if it was nothing. I found no words coming to my mouth, and slowly I started to slither away from them again. My reaction did not go unnoticed.

"Aren't used to dead meat?" another one of the men asked, and he was looking at me, chuckling when I covered my mouth upon seeing the smeared blood on his knee length shendyt. I shook my head. There was no point trying to fake it.

"Haha, that's alright. You don't have to help cut it up. But, since you're here to help in some way, you could do other things. Come, get that dagger over there for me," the man continued to say, and looking behind me I spotted it sitting on the counter. I grabbed it and took it to him, feeling the worn out cloth the handle was wrapped with and the sharp blade.

I stepped back after giving it to him and just watched, the uneasiness slowly going away as I got used to the smell. Never in my life, other than on TV, have I saw an animal in this bloodied state before. Of course I've touched raw meat, but to actually see it coming from the animal freaked me out greatly.

I spent most of my time just watching them work. All I had to do was rise the daggers and old swords out with the water in the corner, and splash some on the ground to wash away the blood when it became too much. The men was hard at work with their cutting. They didn't take a break, and they didn't look to need it even when sweat dripped off their bodies. There was still so much to get done, but neither of them complained. They only cried out victoriously as they got through half of the meat, not at all concerned about the fact that the birds haven't been touched yet. Was this really considered normal for them? My heart sank watching them work so hard, but this was their life. They knew no other way.

"Ramose?!"

Hearing the voice of a woman call out suddenly from the doorway, we all turned to look at her. She was a small girl wearing a full tunic that went down to her knees, her shoulder length black hair swaying as she stared at Ramose urgently. Ramose turned to her, an eyebrow raising.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for bothering you, but Senisonbe is asking you to assist us with the tables in the throne room. We have to start setting the food out. Ra has already rose and there is no one to help us. We are very low on staff today," she explained quickly, and my heart leaped with joy. The throne room?!

I turned to Ramose expectantly, and hope rose when I saw him let out a big sigh before slowly setting the dagger down on the ground. He got up, and checking himself over, he scowled to see drops of blood on the side of his tunic.

"Okay, I'm coming. Just give me a moment," Ramose said, and taking some water he tried scrubbing the blood off. Thankfully the blood had not dried, but now there was a wet spot. It was better than the blood though.

"Come, Timaeus," he said, and with great restraint I stopped myself from breaking out into a wide smile. I trailed after him silently, feeling my heart thudding loudly with excitement.

* * *

 **That brings us to the end of the chapter! I do hope you like it. I tried my best when editing to make it smoother and less complicated to read.**

 **PS: This was formerly a very big chapter. After editing I cut the big chapter in half, creating chapter 18 for the other half. It was so big that I thought it was too much info to handle at once, lessening the chapter's enjoyment because there was so much going on. I hope the chunks makes it better. Sorry in advance for any confusion! More will be explained on the other half – next chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading and please do review~**

 **Bye~**


	18. Chapter 18

**STOP. Seriously, I really need to explain something very quick. This is not a new chapter (to those keeping up with the fic as it updates). I just took chapter 17 and chopped it in half. This is the other half of chapter 17 which I moved here – therefore creating a new chapter. So, please don't hate me for toying with you, making you think this was the NEW chapter. I know I said chapter 18 would have the Atem's official appearance, but this change was necessary. Next chapter, chapter 19, for sure.**

 **I'm very, very sorry.**

 **CHAPTER 19 WILL BE OUT BY THE END OF THE WEEK. I PROMISE. I'M NOT DELAYING IT. THIS IS JUST AN EDITED CHAPTER AND TO MAKE IT UP I WILL UPDATE SOON.**

 **I still encourage you all to read it once more, skim it even, because I did change some things for the sake of the plot and the story as a whole.**

 **REVIEWS~**

 **i – To make the story easier for me to edit, I had to cut it in half and deal with each part separately. Having to edit such a long chapter is quite overwhelming, that was why I made this decision. I hope the edited version is better, and… yeah. I guess I do work better on a chapter once I know what I have to change and fix. I went back and looked at all of the things you brought up, and I completely agree. Now that the weird narration is out, and I now see that it is in fact weird and out of place, it is a whole lot better. I will definitely need to read more to fix the vocab. Thank you so, so much for all of your inputs. I will try my best to write chapter 19 beautifully. Oh, and as for the tunnel thing… I completely made that up for the sake of the story. I don't know if they actually did use tunnels to get back and forth from the palace. Also… you actually read A Vampire's Kill?! :P**

 **As for my new readers who has no idea what gibberish I'm talking about, please ignore it and just continue on. I do hope you like it! :D**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 18

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The girl led us back towards the first kitchen, and upon entering we were met with four baskets filled with fruits, vegetables and bread on the countertop.

"We will need to take these along with us," the girl explained, and she walked over to them and picked up the biggest basket in her arms as if it was nothing. "The other girls took the rest of it to the palace already," she went on, and carefully I went over and wrapped my arms around the second largest basket, Ramose picking up the two smaller baskets that remained.

As we held them tightly, the girl glanced over at us to signal us to follow her before walking out of the kitchen once she got our attention. Ramose followed after her while I gave a quick grin to Merimose. The boy was still in the middle of helping Senisonbe, running between the women and doing all that he could to assist them. Seeing me he still managed to give a little wave and a tired smile.

Stepping out of the kitchen and into the little hallway, I found myself turning to the right to head back outside. The servant quarters were separated from the palace after all, so naturally we had to go outside to get to the palace. However, I found myself being pulled by Ramose in the other direction a second later. He directed me to the bigger opening which led even further into the servant's quarter.

"This way, Timaeus," he scolded lightly, and I could see him holding back a chuckle as he steered me. My eyes slanted with confusion.

"Don't we have to go outside to get to the palace?" I murmured to Ramose, and at that he shook his head. I waited for him to explain further, but that was it. He said nothing more, so all I could do was wait and see where the girl was taking us, believing that it was just another thing different about how things were done in _this_ palace.

The building interior was now a lot brighter than before. Light was shining in through the windows profusely, so I was able to see everything around me clearly. We walked through the storage area and there I saw shelves filled with plates, bowls, cups, and other utensils. On the other side of the room were sacks that were no doubt filled with grains and other foods which would be used to prepare the meals on the floor. There was so many in the room that there was just a thin strip of clear floor to walk through.

Passing another entryway, we this time came upon a slightly larger area, and here I was able to make it out as a leisure room of some sort. There were little tables situated around the place, and sitting on the mats on the ground were other servants seemingly relaxing and taking a break. It was not decorated much at all. A few religious symbols was painted on the walls, and simple designs lined the top and bottom edges of the room. I pursed my lips together as some of the servants looked at me, but I had no time to look at them. Ramose tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to see him holding open a door that was situated just near the entrance which led back to the storage room. The door was hidden conspicuously, and sensing adventure and my thirst for the unknown, I joined him and peered down a long set of steps.

My eyes widened, and I gently entered, turning to Ramose as he closed the door behind him. He held handed me an oil lamp which I struggled to hold, while the girl held another oil lamp, lighting the way. She walked down the stone steps carefully, balancing everything perfectly. I stumbled, nearly dropping the basket and the lamp before finding a proper position to hold them both.

"What is this place?" I whispered to Ramose, and I could hear my voice echo down the long, dark, deep passageway.

"Don't worry. This is a passage the servants use to get in and out of the palace easily," Ramose explained.

"Really?" This was new information to me. I didn't know such things were built specifically for the servants to use.

Ramose nodded as we walked down the steps. It was cold and stuffy, causing chills to run up my spine.

"Yes. This passage was built not too long ago actually. When I was a child they finished constructing it. It burrows deep underground and leads a person straight to the back of the palace. Because of the severe rise in crime during those days, many of the thieves from Kul Elna – an abandoned city to the east – broke into the palace and killed the servants who were out doing errands at night. That was why Pharaoh Aknamkanon took it upon himself to create something that would keep everyone safe. They couldn't fully stop the bandits, but they did make something safer for the servants to travel to and from the palace during such a difficult time. All chores were expected to be done before sundown though. If it wasn't done, it was to be left until the next day."

"Oh…" I trailed off, and my mind whirred quickly as the new information sunk in. Pharaoh Aknamkanon was always known to be kind and generous to his subjects. To know that this was something he ordered to be done just a short time after his rise to the throne was amazing. Though, it still didn't solve one problem.

"Ramose," I began quietly, and I bit my lip slightly before continuing. "I'm not trying to be rude or accuse anyone… but with this tunnel built, wouldn't that mean servants could sneak in and out of the palace whenever they felt like. It could cause some serious safety issues for the royals in the palace if there was someone with evil intentions living here and knowing about the tunnel."

Ramose seemed to understand because he nodded, a small smile appearing on his face.

"You're right. That was one of the issues that came up, but the Priests quickly found a solution to it. Remember how I said that all work in the palace had to be done before sundown?" I nodded. "That's because a lock was put on the door that led into the palace at a certain time. Guards would picket outside the door as well in case anyone was sneaky enough to slip inside. That continues even to this day. Crime isn't as bad as it was back then since the thieves of Kul Elna abandoned the area, but the tunnel is still used, especially during festivals."

"You've mentioned a village called Kul Elna. Is that really a thief's village?" I asked. I couldn't help but be curious about the subject. They would definitely be quite a problem if there was a whole village for them.

"Yes, but they are no longer around anymore. When Pharaoh Aknamkanon took the throne, with the help of his Priests he dealt with them. The group hasn't bothered us since," Ramose explained.

Nodding as I understood everything that he said, I didn't even realise it when we came to the second set of stairs that led upwards. My heart reached my throat when I saw the girl waiting at the top, holding the door open for us, and through the crack I could see the bright shine of gold.

"Let's go," Ramose said, and together we walked up the steps, my feet getting lighter and lighter the closer I got. My head felt as if it was about to explode from exhilaration.

"This way," the girl said, and without hesitating, we stepped in.

My breath was lost immediately. Like a mindless doll I continued to follow Ramose and the girl, but my eyes were frozen on my surroundings. Smooth stone walls and tall pillars encircled me, each one decorated with elegant carvings and hieroglyphs, painted intricately with the simple colours of red, blue, green and yellow, the ivory coloured walls enhancing it. The walls too were something to behold. Panels decorated each section, every mural telling a story of great battles and the legacy of the many pharaohs who passed on before. They were all painted so neatly, the pictures reaching the high ceiling, but seeing them caused that tingling sensation to race up my arms. I just wanted to graze my fingers across them, but I knew I couldn't. Not now.

We walked, the girl taking us down the small hallway and closer to the center of the palace. As we did, I watched all of the stone doors eagerly, hoping to see someone come out from one of them. To my disappointment, servants were the ones who rushed about, and we even passed a few that were still in the middle of cleaning. None of them took notice of me because they were so busy, all except for a young boy with black curly locks who dropped his washcloth in fright. I smiled at him to ease his worry, but it was as if he had turned into a statue. I eventually gave up and sighed, looking upwards and following the others and we turned right to go down another hallway. But, what I soon came to realise, it wasn't just any hallway.

The sun shone from the west and into the grand hall, turning the almost white coloured stone into gold. Goosebumps broke out on my skin again as I felt the warm rays, and hazily I turned my gaze towards the beautiful garden. Grass grew plentiful here, palm trees littering the area with plants and flowers that looked almost exotic. They were exotic, but it looked so unreal. The gigantic columns that was circled with colours and hieroglyphs stood out, and as I looked up at them, my eyes transfixed themselves of the high central roof. A hallway designed this way was called a hypostyle hall, and it was special because it was the hall that led to the throne room.

On the left side of me were more doors, and since this was a hypostyle hallway it could only mean that the government related rooms were located there. It was mostly used by the Pharaoh's court. Inside, the Priests would no doubt gather and discuss business related matters amongst themselves to bring up later in the Pharaoh's presence, or they would simply use the space to relax during the day between tasks.

More things were coming to light about this world. The palace wasn't just a simple palace. In was more of a complex, where even administration had a separate section all to itself. No wonder the palace was so big. But, knowing that also told me another thing. Pharaoh Aknamkanon ruled during the second millennium, a time where the palaces began to become even more elaborate than before.

"Through here," the girl said, and it was then when I noticed that there was no door at the end of the hall. I could see nothing but a big opened space, and my heart leapt when I entered, my breath hitching and then vanishing once more.

The throne room was huge. Tall columns covered each wall, heavily decorated with carvings of hieroglyphics and symbols and colour. Statues stood on the wall to my left, borders to another mural, but on my right… I felt my heart race and I could feel my body shaking as I laid my eyes on none other than the golden throne. The throne sat atop a large platform, a small set of stairs leading up to it. Glancing around the enormous walls I could see a balcony circling around the entire room, confirming my thoughts that there was a second floor to the palace. The balcony too was decorated nicely, nothing taking away glory from the majestic room.

I smiled, walking across the room and towards Ramose and the other servants who were setting tables against the walls. They spoke quietly to themselves, their feet pattering on the smooth stone floor as they ran about. The tables already put into place was where they started setting the food down, and not wanting to delay, I took my basket over. The usual reaction happened again, but I yet again ignored them and casted one more look towards the tall throne, the round sun disk decorating the top and the Eye of Wadjet carved elegantly into the back wall.

"Start taking those out, Timaeus," Ramose said, and I pulled away from the throne to look at him. I gave him a firm nod, and began doing what I was brought to the palace to do.

I don't know how many hours had passed since we started. We all were working steadily throughout most of the morning, and the more we worked the more we realised that there was still so much that needed to get done.

Wiping a sweat from my brow, I sighed heavily. Since I was too nauseous to help with the meat, I was given the task to carry the food back and forth from the servant quarters to the throne room, all the while helping the women in the kitchen to the best of my ability. It was tiring, but I couldn't even start to imagine how difficult the other jobs must be. There was the religious aspect of the festival which took up most of the time. Things had to be prepared for that. And the entertainers were wandering in and out, along with the other preparations that had to get done by the afternoon for the evening banquet. Many people were involved, but as of now it was just the servants hurrying to prepare the midday feast. I heard that the royals were served breakfast in their rooms, and it was after hearing that did I start to get disheartened.

"There. Now it's just up to the servants to serve," Ramose said cheerily, and I looked up at him. He was standing just a short distance away from me, scanning the table and making sure that everything was in place after setting down his last dish. After the men were done chopping up the meat, most had gone out to tend to the animals and clean up, while the younger ones offered their assistants in the kitchens. Ramose happened to be among them too.

Before us was the long table filled with an assortment of bread dishes, beer and wine- which had to be kept on a separate table, along with a wide variety of meat and fish. It was mesmerising to watch the kitchen maids cook the geese and ducks afterwards because honestly it started to smell very good. I've never had it before, but it smelled wonderful. They seasoned them well with rosemary, cinnamon, cumin, and what seemed to be dill. There was also a variety of fruits from cherries, peaches, and pears. Throughout it all though they complained to themselves, promising to start two days in advance because there was so much to do and never enough time to get it all done.

I chuckled quietly to myself as the memory of my mother doing the same appeared in my mind. She too would spend tireless hours preparing and cooking when she had guests over, and she would also always complain with the ladle in her hand about how many mouths she had to feed in such a short amount of time.

The happiness on my face slowly weakened as I suddenly started to miss her curries, the scolding, and just the sight of her brightened, cheerful face every day. How I wished to go back. The homesickness was getting to me, but in the end I knew that it had to be repressed. There was nothing I could do about it for now.

"Yes, it's all done," I said, and I gave Ramose a tired smile after I sat the last bowl of bread down amongst the others.

"Then we should get going," Ramose said, and he picked up the now empty baskets before making his way towards the door.

" _This is it,"_ I thought sadly, and with regret I couldn't help but cast one more look towards the golden-like throne that sat as empty as it was when we entered.

I spent so much of my time wandering in and out of the palace, and each time I did I couldn't stop myself from looking around, searching. I searched for the Nameless Pharaoh, and saw not a single strand of his hair. Nor did I see a single member of the royal court. I guess it was just my luck. Nothing was going to be easy. As soon as I thought that I was getting closer, I was taken a few steps backwards.

"Timaeus?" Ramose called, and my head spun towards him after hearing his voice. He stopped walking and was now looking at me curiously.

"I'm coming!" I quickly assured, and I jogged up to him. However, the sullen look reappeared on my face as I walked beside him.

Even though I didn't know what I would do or say when I finally did meet the Prince, I still just wanted to see him. If I couldn't see him, I atleast hoped to see one of the Priests, or maybe Pharaoh Aknamkanon- which was very unlikely. By seeing them I would feel that my efforts weren't going to waste. But, I was leaving now. Was there anything else I could do?

In the end, I would have to think of something else. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance. If I couldn't see them before the Festival started, I will surely see them during. In a large crowd, how hard would it be to find a handful of people?

"The others will be waiting for us in the kitchen?" I asked as we began walking down the hypostyle hall, the sun causing the columns to create large shadows across the floor.

"That's where they said they would be," Ramose confirmed, and just when I was about to return my gaze forward, I caught Ramose's eyes going wide.

"What is it?" I questioned, slowing down, and it was then when I heard the group of footsteps coming down the hall towards us. My heart seemed to have stopped.

"The Priests!" Ramose hissed urgently, and he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side, making way for them to pass. I could hear them as they got closer, but I didn't find the courage to look, especially when Ramose pulled me to the ground.

As we knelt there, our left foot forwards to pay our respects, I could feel all the blood in my body rushing to my head. My chest felt heavy and my breathing slowed until I was barely breathing at all. I could just feel the heat on my face and ears, completely excited and frightened and surprised all at once. I especially felt as if my head was going to burst when the footsteps then suddenly stopped, and a voice rang out coldly.

"My Prince, just what do you think you're doing?!"

I knew it. I was going to faint.

The voice went on.

"Where in the world were you last night? Sneaking off again, and then behaving in such a-"

"Priest Aknadin," another voice cut in sharply, and I gulped, instantly recognising the cold tone. It belonged to none other than Priest Set. I could feel my own body turning to ice, the heat disappearing. Not again…

"That is not the Prince," Priest Set said, but it seemed the Priest named Aknadin was not convinced.

"What do you mean?" Priest Aknadin asked harshly, and without thinking properly I took a quick glance up at them. The short second I used to do so was all it took for Aknadin to lock gazes with me. He gasped immediately as he stared into my purple irises that were nothing like those blood coloured ones they were probably very familiar with.

They were all silent. I gulped, trembling from fear. To have these people stare at me with so much shock made me want to sink into the earth and disappear.

"Rise," a voice then ordered, and I immediately traced it to one of the other Priests. Like the others, he wore a long white tunic, a simple headdress covering his long brown hair. Slowly I got to my feet, Ramose doing the same. I looked at him and gulped before hastily looking back at the ground.

"This is not the Prince," Priest Set continued to explain icily. "This is the strange look-alike I was telling you all about!"

"I'm sorry," I murmured before I could stop myself. Somehow I just felt responsible for everything that was happening. It wasn't my fault that I looked like the Prince. It couldn't be. But, now there was this stupid problem and I was just causing a lot of confusion. What else was I supposed to say in such a situation?

"Why are you apologising?"

My head snapped upwards upon hearing the voice of a woman, and as I did I ended up at her face. No words came to my mind as she waited for an answer, so embarrassed my eyes returned to the ground.

"He does look so much like the Prince," another said, and I refused to look up. The others hummed in agreement. Priest Set though responded with a scoff.

"I told you so. And just like I had warned, we better do something before-"

"Priest Set, that's enough," Priest Aknadin said sternly, and Priest Set fell silent once more. The one who ordered us to rise spoke next.

"I don't understand why you are so worried. I can sense that no evil lingers in his heart, and surely you can sense the same."

"Mahad, you have lost your mind. How can you easily come to such a conclusion?!"

"If he holds nothing within his heart, why should we detain him?" another man said, and with a golden key around his neck he glances at Priest Set with a calculating gaze.

"He has done nothing wrong either. So please, I ask you to stop your recklessness," Priest Mahad scolded once more, and I jumped slightly when Priest Set growled lowly.

"When the Pharaoh lays eyes on him, he will agree with me. That is no coincidence," he spat, and he pointed a long finger towards me.

"We shall see," the woman stated firmly, and with another huff, Priest Set stormed away towards the throne room.

In all, I counted that they were a group of six. Five men and one woman. And to make it even more astonishing, I internally gasped with surprise as I noticed the golden object, the one with the pointers that helped me find the Kingdom when I got to this time period, around Priest Mahad's neck. Actually, they all held a golden object, each one with the eye of Horus on them. Priest Set held a rod, Priest Aknadin had a golden eye, and there was the ring-like pointer, a scale, a key, and the necklace that the woman wore.

I don't know why, but upon seeing these six items, I felt a stream of uncertainty flow through my mind. The more I tried to chase the memory however, the more lost I got. And with it, I felt a piece missing. Were there more of these strange items? Now that I thought about it, it was strange. Where did they come from? I clenched me teeth with frustration. It must surely be a part of my past life. Those endless doors always appeared in my mind now, surrounding the memories I grew up with like a dark fog, but never touching them. It was as if my mind was lost in a place unknown. I wish I could just remember.

"Who are you, Stranger?"

Hearing the woman's voice, I looked back up to gaze at her.

"My name is, Timaeus Caelius. I've travelled from Greece to Egypt to learn more about this country, and so far I've been staying with Ramose's family. I've been helping them prepare for the festival," I explained quietly, and I took a quick peek at Ramose. He was standing tall, eyes facing the ground, listening quietly. I wondered how he was feeling through all of this. I was no doubt causing only trouble for him.

"I understand," she replied, and she said nothing more, a hand simply going to her necklace in a comforting manner.

"This is enough now," Priest Aknadin then suddenly said, and all eyes turned to him. "We need to get going."

Tugging my arm, Ramose and I both bowed slightly as they started to walk away, their feet receding into the distance until I could no longer hear them. My heart still raced, and as we straightened, I found myself fighting the urge to puke from fear. I somehow caught a hold of myself, and when I felt calmer, I turned to Ramose who stared out at the garden with an indescribable look on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Ramose," I started as soon as I turned towards him, and feeling overwhelmed I started speaking without no end in sight, panicked. "Because of me Priest Set was so upset and now he's going to bring it up with the Pharaoh and it really is starting to seem as if I'm a nuisance-"

"Stop it, Timaeus. It isn't your fault," Ramose said, and he gave me a stern look. I fell quiet. "It was obvious your similarity to the Prince would attract attention, and as for Priest Set, he tends to worry a lot. The other Priests seem to be on your side, so there isn't a problem. It's an understandable situation once someone took the time to comprehend it."

"You aren't angry?" I asked fearfully as meek as a mouse, and at that Ramose rose a brow.

"Why would I be angry? In fact, I'm thrilled to have been in the presence of the Priests. It's not every day that you see them about."

"Oh, alright then," I said, and taking one more look down the hall I saw that they were already gone.

"Come on. We're late as it is. Let's go now," Ramose said, and turning back to him I nodded happily, the butterflies in my stomach disappearing.

I was absolutely content now. I had started to feel that my efforts were moving me up, taking me closer to my destination. My memories might still be a bit nonexistent, and my path was pretty much unclear, but there was something. I was learning more and more, and a part of me said to continue meeting other people, especially those that are around the Prince almost every day. The more I get to know them the easier it will be for me to get to know the Prince. If only it was as easy as it sounded though. It was going to be difficult, especially since I was in no way connected to these people.

My brows furrowed together with agitation as I then suddenly recalled Priest Aknadin's words when he saw me. He thought that I was the Prince, and was yelling about the Prince sneaking out again, and last night too. So, in fact, the Prince was not in the castle.

My heart started to beat at odd rhythms as my mind continued to churn with the thought that I may have crossed paths with him without knowing. But that quickly died. I was out early in the morning. The Prince surely must have returned back home long before then. The guards at the gate did say that he was in the palace.

I twisted my mouth and shook my head. All of the thinking was starting to give me a headache. There were so many possibilities, but I couldn't be completely sure about any of them. Either way, I was getting one step closer to figuring out my destiny. I met the six royal Priests, five of which don't hate me and want me thrown in the dungeon. Now there was just one person left.

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 **Thank you all so much for reading. I CANNOT wait for the next chapter! Seriously, be prepared. The real new chapter is coming out later this week. I'm already working on it, especially after putting up this chapter and making you all think Atem's chapter had arrived. I have made you all wait too long for it, so I'm sorry once again.**

 **So, the edited versions, I think, is better than before. That much is positive. Tell me if you spot anything out of place or if a scene still doesn't seem right. Also, if you haven't noticed the differences in this chapter – because it was important that's why I requested you to reread it- I'll tell you. Timaeus DID NOT meet Pharaoh Aknamkanon, and they spoke about Kul Elna. That will come up later on in the story. :)**

 **Anyways, thank you all for being amazing readers~ Please review~  
Bye~**


	19. Chapter 19

**Finally! The chapter you've all been waiting for~ Sorry for the minor delay, but I was so anxious for the scene that I couldn't write it! However, I'm sure you're all excited for Atem's appearance. I know I sure am! I spent quite some time trying to get this chapter down as perfect as I could get it. Truly, I think it's amazing and you all will be blown away by their meeting. However, you're not going to like me at the end of this.**

 **Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, and for your understanding of the previous chapters. It really does mean a lot!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Secrets Underground

Chapter 19

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Hours later, most chores within the palace were finally completed. The sun was creeping its way to the middle of the sky, and without mercy she burned hotly upon the people that started to arrive.

I watched from behind a large pillar by the throne room's entrance as they entered. From their appearance it was clear to me that they were all nobles of some fashion. Men and women alike were decorated with gold and the finest linen, their feet protected from the hot stone floor by eloquently made slippers. They travelled in groups wearing more or less the same expression I had on my face when I first saw the grand hallway. Their mouths were agape and their eyes flickered back and forth across the walls and ceilings with wide, astonished smiles sitting on their faces. Even the children looked around animatedly, skipping across the floor and touching the pillars with amazement before the parent could pull them away.

That was roughly over an hour ago. Now I stood hidden in the back corner of the throne room, listening to the murmurs that echoed around the wide space with my arms crossed and back braced against the wall. The throne room was already filled with people of different statuses, all of them gathered around and awaiting the arrival of the Pharaoh and his Priests to begin the ceremony.

"When are they going to start?" Merimose complained beside me, and on his tiptoes he tried to peer over the crowd to see the front of the room. With no luck he pouted and gave up, turning to Ramose and began pulling on the man's tunic impatiently.

"Father, it has been so long already. I want to see the Pharaoh."

Ramose broke away from his conversation with Senisonbe and looked over at Merimose. Seeing him upset, Ramose sighed and just patted the boy's head with a little, tired smile.

"Soon. Just be patient," Ramose assured, but Merimose was not convinced. He crossed his arms and walked over to stand next to me, sulking greatly as he stared at the colourful base of the large pillar before us. Shaking my head, I shot him an amused grin.

Merimose had spent all day thinking that he would not get to see the rituals because a few boys told him that his family was not of a high enough class to attend. He believed their words given that they worked within the palace, and thus knowing more about the customs than he did.

It saddened him immensely, especially since he was excited to see the festival for the first time. But, that didn't stop him. He retold what the boy's said to Ramose, and Ramose was forced to confirm it with the other servants on Merimose's behest. Luckily for us, the servants explained that we were in fact able to go. The entire kingdom obviously wasn't able to see it up close, but the servants within the palace had the opportunity due to the fact that they helped with the preparations.

Upon hearing the explanation, Merimose was beyond happy.

I had to be proud of him. Thanks to his insistence, we were able to be here and witness the festival as well. Ramose was ready to return home and just relax, which leaving gave me stress, so it was good that Merimose kept pleading with him. I was now able to see the Pharaoh, and the Prince. I was sure of it. There was no way the Prince would not attend his father's Sed ceremony. If he didn't show up it would be disgraceful for the Pharaoh, so the Prince had to be there. It was his responsibility, and the royals were not casual on such a thing.

Watching the crowd from between the shadows- a perfect spot for me because I was hidden from all of the wandering eyes to spare myself their horrified reactions- I noted the rise of exasperation within the crowd as well. It was now noon and the Pharaoh was nowhere to be seen as yet. There were a lot of rituals to go through, so I couldn't help but wonder if there would be enough time for it all to take place.

The Sed Festival was aimed to renewing the reigning King's power. After thirty years of holding the throne, it was believed that his power had depleted and would therefore cause the country to grow weak. They needed to re-strengthen the Pharaoh's power, so all of these rituals had to be done. It was the Ancient Egyptian's way of burying the old King and giving birth to a new, stronger King.

To take up even more time, during the ceremony they would have a re-enactment of the unification of Egypt. The founder of the first dynasty, the one who unified Lower and Upper Egypt according to many, was a man called Narmer. Who actually unified Egypt was still a hot topic among Egyptologists because another person, Menes, is also identified with Narmer. Some say that Narmer and Menes was the same person. Others say that Menes inherited the already unified Egypt from Narmer, while another group believes that Narmer began the unification and Menes completed it. Whoever they were, Narmer and or Menes unified the country and that was why their accomplishment had to be celebrated and remembered.

Along with that there were certain temple rituals and offerings that had to be made, and this was made clear on a mural that was being preserved in the Sun Temple in Abu-Ghurab, about six miles south of Cairo. The Pharaoh would present offerings to the Gods, and then he would be seated and crowned on a raised platform with two thrones. Those thrones represented Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. The deities beside those thrones was the cobra goddess Wadjet and the vulture goddess Nekhbet, symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt. Afterwards the Priests would carry the statues of the gods and present to them offerings, -food and fine clothing- while giving thanks for the god's loyalty and praying for good relationships in the future.

The Pharaoh would later be given a short kilt to wear with a bull's tail in the back. He would perform the ritual race alongside the Apis Bull four times as the ruler of Lower Egypt, wearing the Red Crown, and another four times as the ruler of Upper Egypt, wearing the White Crown. This race took place outside, mostly next to the shrines, and it was bounded by two points to symbolize the borders of Egypt. This act would reinforce his rule over the whole Kingdom while also proving that he was still physically capable of ruling the country, therefore rejuvenating himself and being reborn. He would then be carried first as the King of Lower Egypt to the Chapel of Horus where he would receive the crook and the flail, and then be carried again, this time as the King of Upper Egypt, to the two chapels: " _Horus of Edfu"_ and " _Seth of Ombos"_ where he would be given a bow and arrow to fire in each of the four directions.

All of these rituals would conclude the ceremony, that is, if they didn't also include an equally important ritual that started during the beginning of the twelfth or maybe as early as the sixth dynasty. It was called the " _Raising the Djed Pillar"_ , and it represented Osiris's triumph over Set. The pillar would stand on a shrine, and with the help of the Priests, the King would raise a wood djed column using ropes. Offerings were made before it, and another re-enactment was performed, this time of the story of Osiris and Isis, telling the tale of how Set threw Osiris into the Nile and how Isis searched for him. A poem of Isis's search was also sometimes added to the ceremony.

Overall though, the raising of the pillar was important because it played a role in Isis finding Osiris. When Osiris was cast into the Nile, he was eventually carried over to a shore next to a tree. The tree began to grow quickly. The King of where Osiris's coffin was taken to grew intrigued with the tree's growth and ordered it to be cut down where he then installed it as a pillar in his palace. When Isis went to serve that King by taking care of his young son, the King gifted her the pillar where she then found the coffin of Osiris hidden inside.

Looking at my feet, I sighed to myself and groaned internally as I heard the grumbling in my stomach. After not eating since we arrived so early in the morning, I was absolutely famished. I really needed food, and quite honestly the emptiness inside was becoming a bother. It felt as if there was nothing but air in there, and I was starting to feel a bit woozy. I paced in the little corner, feeling the tight sensation of my stomach clenching. Now was not the time for me to start feeling ill.

I was just about ready to slide down the wall and sit on the ground for a little while to make myself feel better when all of a sudden a hushed silence fell over the room.

"Timaeus, they're here, they're here," Merimose whispered excitedly to me, and in a split second my mind switched gears. The sour look disappeared from my face and the hunger was immediately forgotten as I stood up straight and tried to peer over the crowd's head. I didn't get very far. I gritted my teeth, agitation rising when I saw nothing but swaying heads and large bodies that blocked my view completely.

"I can't see them," I muttered, and turning to Merimose I saw him wearing a similar expression. Utter anger and distaste sat on his features as he tried to see the entryway with all of the people in the way.

I turned my head back around and tried once more. I could hear the swish of clothing and the click-clack of their footsteps across the floor through the deafening quietness. My heart jumped with excitement as the sound got closer and closer, and as soon as it reached the entrance, everyone dropped to their knees to pay their respects to their living god.

Like a fool I remained standing. I couldn't turn my eyes away in fear of missing the opportunity, but as soon as I saw the white linen of one of the Priests, my hand was grabbed and I was yanked downwards. Surprise took over me so I spun my head around, only to see that it was Merimose. He was looking at me with wide, questioning eyes that wondered as to what I was doing. I said nothing to him. Instead, I sneakily returned my gaze forward and moved closer to the pillar where I stuck my head around it to get a better look.

Now that I was able to see clearly since all of the heads were bowed, it didn't take me long to recognise the three Priests I caught immediate sight of. Walking towards the throne on the side closest to me was Priest Aknadin with Priest Set just behind him, and the woman taking third. As they greeted their subjects silently, the other three Priests on the opposite side doing the same, my breath hitched when I saw the one walking between them was none other than the great Pharaoh himself. My heart felt as if it was going to pop out of my chest, and I forced back an odd squeal of delight.

The man was donned in a long white tunic, wearing the traditional headdress of the Pharaoh with a long purple dyed shawl over his shoulders- the ends falling infront of him. He walked gracefully, looking at his subjects who refused to meet his gaze with a stern but unusually soft face.

My hands trembled the more I looked, and unable to keep calm my eyes dropped to the floor, wide and out of focus. I couldn't even explain what came over me. My mind just refused to process the scene happening infront of me. After such a long wait I was so happy that I didn't know what to do with myself. But, I gathered some courage and control over my mind to look up again. When I did… I caught him.

Black hair tipped with blood red walked in through the doors, his steps as silent as a skilled thief in the night.

My mind didn't even have the time to register the image because it was at that second when everyone rose to their feet once again, blocking him completely from view. He was there, like a flash of light shooting across my eyes before disappearing once again.

My heart jolted when he vanished from my sight, and without thinking I stood and started to move forward hurriedly. My body went cold as I desperately scanned the crowd for that multi-coloured hair. I was now completely in the light, at risk of being seen if someone was to turn around, but somehow that was not my concern. My hands were sweating and I gulped shakily as I started to push my way through the equally stunned crowd, when all of a sudden I was grabbed tightly around the arm once more.

I spun around, my mind screaming at whoever was pulling me away from my goal, only for my panic-stricken rage to quickly die when I saw Ramose eyeing me with worry and fear. Slowly he drew me back towards the shadows, and my feet followed unwillingly.

It felt as if something inside of me had snapped. My body was shaking and my heart was doing funny rhythms and my mind was telling my feet to break out into a run and see the Prince before he was gone, but Ramose held me firmly. His warning gaze refused to look away from mine as he pulled me all the way back into the safety of the corner, and even then he didn't let go. He continued to stare at me intently, his face firm and serious which reminded me instantly of the day we first met.

"What is wrong with you, Timaeus?" he finally asked, his voice low. I could feel my mouth trying to make words, but none came out. I looked at him helplessly, but after a moment my eyes inevitably returned to the throne area as if I was a newborn baby drawn to light.

I could see the Pharaoh and his Priest walking up the little steps to the top of the platform soundlessly through an opening between the people, but with one movement that too was blocked. All I caught was a snip of the Pharaoh taking a seat on his throne, the Priests splitting up into two groups of threes to stand on each side of him.

"Timaeus!" Ramose called again, and with a little gasp I looked at him, his voice breaking me out of whatever it was I had fallen in. He still didn't let me go. In fact, his grip tightened.

"I thought we talked about this. Have you forgotten? If you go there now people will panic and things will get out of control. It isn't a good idea to get any closer. Snap out of it," Ramose scolded, and my attention was taken to the spot beside me after hearing Merimose's soft voice.

"Timaeus…" he said, and he held on to my tunic, looking at me with eyes that swam with a vast amount of questions as well.

Seeing him and hearing him call my name in such a worried manner shattered the constricting feeling my heart caused. I swallowed deeply and exhaled through my nose, awareness of what I had just almost done filling me with regret. I wrapped my fingers around Merimose's hand that found mine, and I sighed with defeat and sadness.

"Meri," I trailed off, and feeling a wedge in my throat I turned back to Ramose and flashed him a sorrowful look.

"I'm very, very sorry, Ramose. I… I don't know what came over me. I will stay out of sight, I promise. I don't know how I could've been so stupid..."

Ramose said nothing. He just observed me carefully for a short moment longer before eventually letting go. My arm dropped back to my side as he heaved a big sigh, and his hand came up to rest on my shoulder comfortingly. My eyes returned to him.

"It's alright. Just, try not to get so excited next time. You really gave me a scare just now," he explained, and I frowned.

"I'm really, really sorry."

"It's okay. But do something like that again and I may not forgive you as easily," and giving me a weary smile, he patted my back and returned to Senisonbe.

I was happy that he wasn't angry with me, but the more the realisation sank in, the heavier the weight of regret started to feel. I felt like curling up and crying out of frustration. Instead, I clenched my teeth together and backed up against the wall, sliding down to the floor slowly to wallow alone. There was nothing I could do. The Nameless Pharaoh was just a few steps away from me and I couldn't even see him because if I got too close, my appearance would cause me trouble like none ever before. If Ramose hadn't stopped me I don't know what I would have done once people started turning their attention to me instead of the Pharaoh. So, what was I to do now? Was there really anything I could do?

I sniffed, wanting nothing more than to hide when I heard that I was actually on the verge of crying. I just couldn't believe my luck. I was so close. _So close_. After such a long time of waiting for this moment I was ready to grasp it in my hands, and yet… It felt as if I was being toyed with. This had to all be just a big joke of some kind where Shadi was the only one laughing. I scowled, and dropped my head on to my knees.

In the distance I could hear a voice speaking loudly to the people. It sounded like Priest Set, but I could hardly make out the words he was saying. With my head tucked between my knees everything just sounded muffled, but I figured that he was probably just addressing the crowd of the festival and all that was to entail. Humph. Was there an end to my horrible days? Here I was at the Sed festival I would dream about seeing and now that I was here my heart didn't feel whole enough to enjoy it. Just what was wrong with me? In the end I had put all my time and effort into this. Was I really going to let one drawback stop me now?

"Timaeus."

Hearing Merimose's voice, I pulled my gaze away from the ground and glanced up at him. He sat down beside me flat on the floor, legs stretched out infront of him and with his arms in his lap. He observed me carefully, eyes unwavering.

"What's wrong, Timaeus?" he asked quietly, and I sighed in response. The boy was too attentive for his own good. He had a habit of figuring out just what a person was feeling. How was I supposed to explain this predicament of mine to him?

"Nothing, Merimose," I said, but that answer caused him to shoot me a glare.

"No, something's wrong. I can see that you're upset and you've started to act strangely. Tell me what's going on," he demanded, and seeing the strong look, I turned away from him to stare at the dark wall. There was no sensible answer that I could give him.

Silence loomed between us as the ceremony continued. Priest Set continued to talk, and in the distance I could hear the arrival of bells of some sort. The silence didn't last long. Merimose spoke again, his voice still and straightforward, void of all emotion.

"Do you really want to see the Prince that badly?"

The question had me spinning my head back towards him, my eyes as wide as saucers.

"H-How did you know?" I asked before I could stop myself, and Merimose raised his head from the ground to look me in the eye.

"You think I didn't notice?" he started, and I held my breath anxiously as he went on to explain, each word sending my mind into a frenzy. "I was oblivious to it when you arrived at our home, but the more time I spent with you the more I started to see it. You're not here for what you say you're here for."

My insides ran cold and I forced back a gulp that was stuck in my throat. I couldn't even breathe properly. Did he really figure it out? And if so, what was I to say to him?! There was no easy way to explain about being from thousands of years into the future where people were digging up the tombs and palaces and homes and everything that was now buried under heaps of sand over the years.

"Merimose…"

"Don't explain, Timaeus. I understand," he insisted, and hearing that had me pulling my thoughts that scrambled with horror to a full stop.

"What do you understand?" I whispered fearfully, still not sure what he was getting at, and I watched nervously as a grin started to creep its way on to his face.

"You're staying here and doing all of this just so you could see the resemblance you have to the Prince yourself!"

"What?" I blinked, utterly taken aback.

"I saw it. Ever since that day we met Mana and she spoke to you about the Prince, this fascinated look appeared on your face. At first I shrugged it off thinking that it was mere curiosity because you said you wanted to learn more about our country, but then when you heard Ameneman speak ill of him you got this really sad and confused expression. That got me thinking that there could be more to it, and I started putting all of those times the Prince came up together. You looked so thrilled when Mana told you that the Prince loved games, and that he played with all good players. But, not only that. Anything to do with him and the palace intrigues you and I could see you holding back your questions. I understand why you may not want to ask others, but c'mon. You shouldn't have hid it from me! I thought we were friends," Merimose chattered excitedly, and he latched on to my arm, a wide smile on his face and his eyes alight with mischief and curiosity. All I could do was look at him with shock and confliction.

First of all, did I really show all of those expressions on the outside without realising it? And if Merimose caught it, did that mean more people knew of my interest? Of course, Merimose didn't know the real reason I wanted to know about the Prince and the palace, but it was close enough to leave me completely flabbergasted.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me that you just wanted to meet the Prince and see him for yourself. I'm sure with Mana's help we could have found a way…" Merimose continued to say to himself, only to suddenly snap his head back in my direction.

"If you're serious about seeing the Prince, I'll figure something out. I'll ask my father. He would know something," he went on, and without hesitating he swiftly got to his feet.

"Merimose, wait a moment!" I called after him, standing as well, and my hands went to my head as he ran off towards Ramose. _"Oh no…"_

I groaned and paced nervously as Ramose looked down at the boy. Merimose spoke quickly, tugging on Ramose's arm as he did so excitedly. I didn't know if it was a curse or a blessing that I couldn't hear what he was saying to him, but seeing Ramose look around the room brought me even more worries, especially when he stopped a servant girl who was dashing off back down the hall with some unused bowls. She replied to them as well after a moment of thought before continuing on her way, and I saw Ramose give Merimose a warning look before the boy broke out into another grin, returning to my side with a little skip in his step.

"Merimose, what did you do? What did you tell your father? It's just a misunderstanding. I don't want-" I began, completely freaked out as I grabbed him, but Merimose chuckled and stopped me midsentence yet again.

"Don't worry, Timaeus."

"Merimose! Stop! You're not getting me at all! I- I don't want to meet the Prince," not right now anyways. "I just want to see him. That's it. Oh… what have I done?!" I fretted, but the smile didn't leave Merimose's face. He stopped my pacing and flicked my arm, grabbing my attention once more.

"If you don't want to meet the Prince yet, then it's fine. You can just see him. No need to go up to him right away. Besides, I didn't plan that far ahead since speaking to him would be a slight problem and especially when father promised to spank me if I dared to do such a thing…" and once more the boy ranted off to himself.

"Merimose," I said again, the exasperation rising as I tried to stop him from talking so much, only to stop when realisation smacked into me like a ton of bricks. I turned to Merimose and grabbed him by the shoulders, my heart racing.

"You know where the Prince is?" I exclaimed, and I strained my ears to hear his answer as the sound of drums and tambourines rang through the room. I looked up, taking notice of the wide smiles and the people that made a semicircle around a group that was performing in the middle. The Pharaoh and Priests watched on contently, but I had no time for that. I looked at Merimose as he thought to himself with a little, childish hum before he answered.

"Yes. The maid told us she saw him next to the platform, surrounded by the guards," Merimose explained, and a hopeful, relieved smile spread across my face after hearing that.

"Really?" I said, and when he bobbed his head I couldn't help but actually ponder on the thought. I needed to see the Prince today. The chances of me seeing him after the festival were very, very slim.

"You know, I can help you look for him. We can look for him together! I want to see him too, you know," Merimose said, but I pulled myself out of my thoughts and shook my head frantically as he brought the second offer up.

"Merimose, you know I can't go within the crowd," I reminded, but he wasn't listening. He lifted a finger to stop me, and I was forced to watch as he reached into the small bag he had over his shoulder to pull out a long, folded cloth. My eyebrows furrowed as I recognized the familiar cream coloured embroidery designed on the edges.

"Isn't that your mother's shawl?" I asked, and Merimose nodded.

"Yes, you can use this to hide yourself," and without waiting for my say so he took the shawl and wrapped it around my head, folding it across my shoulders. I eyed him, my face frozen with surprise. "This way we'll be able to go see him together. Don't worry."

I studied the boy as hard as I could. Determination burned within his eyes, and seeing his will so strong, I ended up taking his hand in mine tightly while securing the shawl over my head. Quickly I glanced at Ramose to see him watching the crowd while speaking to two of the men who were with us earlier. As for Senisonbe's whereabouts, I saw that she was with a few girls, talking and looking at the play with interest. I brought my eyes up to Merimose's to see his own ones calling for adventure.

"Okay, Merimose. I'll let you come with me," I said slowly, and I pressed a hand against Merimose's mouth as the boy yelped with joy.

"Sorry, sorry," he contended, and I let out a sigh.

"Just remember to stay close to me. I don't want to lose you within this crowd," I explained, and the boy nodded furiously.

"Understood."

With the shawl covering my hair, there was no need for me to hide any longer. I stepped into the crowd with as much confidence as I could muster, looking around anxiously. With Merimose at my side, holding my tunic tightly so that we didn't get separated, we pushed our way past the elbows and shoulders quickly before Ramose could see us leave. I was going against him, but atleast I would be able to explain that no one saw me, even if it was too late to change what I've done. A part of me hoped to return before we were noticed though, but that was making a tall order. I would just have to try my best and not get into trouble for no good reason.

"Are we almost at the front?" Merimose grunted, and I looked at him urgently when I suddenly heard him yelp. He glanced up at me, rubbing his nose after bumping into someone's arm, a little pout on his face.

"Are you okay?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah. How much longer?" he wondered, and once more he tried to peer over the crowd.

"Not long," I responded, and I gave a quick glance at the platform where the Priests continued to address the crowd, their voices practically lost to me above the noise.

Due to the amount of people, we knew moving through them would be difficult. That was why I took Merimose and led him towards one end of the room. There were less people to bump into and more places to walk. Not to mention it gave us easy access to the edge of the platform where I could see the royal procession of guards gathered tightly, standing off to the side. My heart pounded as I held Merimose's hand, and I rushed forward, dying to lay eyes upon the Prince at last.

"We're close, Meri," I called, and the boy grinned, skidding to a stop at the edge of the crowd as I did.

We were standing right next to the guards, and under the direct gazes of the Priests. I tightened the shawl under my face, trying to look as casual as possible. Merimose was beyond happy, jumping slightly with excitement by my side.

"Where is he?" Merimose asked, and I pulled my eyes away from Priest Set's calculating gaze that traveled across the room to stare down at the boy.

"He should be right there, no?" I asked, and peering through the guards, my excitement slowly began to vanish. The guards were standing close, as if trying to protect someone between them. But there was one problem. They wasn't anyone there for them to guard! My eyes widened as I scanned all around them. How could that even be possible? The Prince had to be around somewhere. All of those guards couldn't possibly be for just the Pharaoh and his Priests.

"I don't see him," Merimose groaned, and I searched along the shadows, trying to see if I had missed a spot. In the end, I saw no one. A frown weighed heavily on my face.

"I don't either," I replied emptily, and Merimose's face dropped.

"He must have escaped from them," the boy muttered, and I turned my gaze towards him.

"How did you come up with that?" I asked, only to stop when I was reminded of his keen eyesight.

"Look at the guards," he started. "They're fidgeting. You can see the sweat dripping off of their faces. Plus, surely you've noticed the way Priest Set is looking at the crowd, and then shooting the guards an angry glare. I reminds me of the time father and I went to his friend's house and I did something he told me not to do. Because we were in public he couldn't scold me right then, so he would just stare at me harshly. I did get a beating when I got home, but the point is that Priest Set can't yell at the guards because of the ceremony. Therefore, to sum the entire situation up… the guards lost the Prince and Priest Set found out."

My eyes widened as I started to put two and two together. What Merimose said was true. The guards looked just about ready to pee themselves, and two others slowly returned to them from the crowd, looking absolutely helpless. They shook their heads, and all stared at Priest Set who shot them fiery gazes secretly. Even Priest Mahad took notice, but was pushing the issue away, trying to not let the problem remove his attention from the ceremony.

"So, the Prince is hiding somewhere in the crowd," I murmured to myself, and Merimose nodded proudly.

"That has to be it," he affirmed, and he looked at me. "It looks like we'll have to search the crowd for him. We can split up to cover more ground."

I nodded, and came to a screeching halt once more with startling realisation.

"What?! Merimose, there's no way we're splitting up!" I exclaimed, and the boy looked at me, blinking innocently.

"Why not? I want to help you! And I'm not going to take no for an answer. I really want to see the Prince too. Besides, we're already this far. We can't turn back now. We would just be wasting time."

He was right, unfortunately. There wasn't a lot of time and I hated myself as the idea actually started to stir in my mind. But, once Merimose had set his mind on something, there was no stopping him. He had figured so much out on his own too and he was ready to plunge in without question to help me see the Prince. I should stop him. I know I should exclude him for his own safety and figure it out myself in case anything went wrong, but I couldn't _**see**_ anything going wrong with the plan. This was my one chance to see the Prince as well, so I couldn't afford to lose it over a little gamble that it all might just be in vain.

"Okay, fine. We'll go according to your plan. But, you need to be careful. When you see the Prince, don't speak to him or even go up to him. Just find me and tell me right away," I warned, and Merimose agreed firmly.

"Got it, Timaeus. You can count on me," he assured, and gathering my resolve, I nodded.

"Good," and shooting each other another strong look, we split up. I watched as Merimose took the left side of the room, thus leaving me with the right side. I didn't hesitate to get my legs moving.

Scanning the crowd, I saw no immediate sign of the Prince up at the front. There were many people in the way even if things seemed to have calmed down. The re-enactment was over, and turning back to the platform I saw the Pharaoh standing, receiving a bowl of food that was handed to him by the priest that had the golden scale before turning around. He was no doubt going to offer it to the gods, and afterwards he would be crowned. Alongside him I noticed another man, and my eyes widened and I stopped mid-step when he greatly resembled my grandfather. But that was impossible. Grandpa was back in the present time. This was surely just another coincidence.

My eyes trailed along the walls and pillars apprehensively, peering into the shadows to see if I could spot the Prince hidden there somewhere.

In the end, I saw no sign of him. I traveled all around my half of the room and still I couldn't see him anywhere. Biting my lip and scowling to myself, I looked over to the other end of the room, hoping that Merimose had gotten some luck. However, my mind repeatedly told me that there was no point searching within the crowd. It advised me to just stick to the walls and the spots that could hide a person since I was looking for a Prince that didn't want to be found. But, that too was seemingly pointless. I scanned the walls several times already.

My head was starting to spin as the voices and the crowded space seemed to get even louder and tighter. My hands wrapped around the end of the shawl, and feeling the frustration and my quickly depleting patience, I decided to find Merimose and tell him that we jumped into this without thinking properly. There had to be an easier way because frankly finding him was like finding a toy soldier in a haystack.

I wriggled my way to the middle of the room, hearing the grunts and complaints some made as I scurried by them. The shawl was so silky it was slipping off my head, so I had to hold on to it with both hands which only created more issues for me. Everything about our plan was falling apart, and regret was this time making a permanent spot within me.

"Merimose," I called, reaching the other side, and looking back to the platform I caught the end of the offerings towards Nekhbet and Wadjet, the crowd breaking out into a loud cheer as the Priests stood from their crouched positions before the statues. My voice was inevitably lost between the waves, but I pressed my lips together, calling out to him once more.

"Merimose!" I shouted, and just then a dark feeling started to grow within me. The sensation caused me to stop in my tracks, making others bump into me as they headed towards the back. I apologised feverishly to them, but they stormed away with a huff, disappearing within the crowd in seconds. I gulped.

My worry was starting to increase tenfold as the moments ticked on. As it did, I noticed that the room was slowly starting to empty itself, therefore giving me more room to move and making it easier for me to find my targets. Though, the reason as to why everyone was leaving remained on my mind. I stopped and looked around for the cause only to notice that it was because of the Pharaoh. He was now leaving for the chapels to continue with the outdoor rituals. I would have loved to see the Pharaoh race, but I needed to find Merimose. Even though I was feeling better as the amount of people in the room diminished, I reminded myself that this was the end of the search. Ramose would surely be looking for us by now, so we had to get going.

Sighing, my momentary ease didn't last long at all because as soon as I turned to scan the crowd carefully, I heard my name being called from the other end of the room excitedly.

"Timaeus!"

It was Merimose's voice, so obviously my head spun around to look in his direction. As soon as I laid eyes on him though I watched with horror as he was flung to the ground by an unknown person, a sharp cry escaping the boy's mouth as he landed hard on his side.

"Merimose?!" I cried, and rushing through the crowd that merely glanced at him, I dropped to my knees and cradled him on my lap. "Merimose, are you okay? I'm here," I soothed him quickly, and my heart ached as I saw the tears that welled up in his eyes. He looked at me, his lips trembling, and eyes filled with confusion.

"Timaeus?" he whispered, and he glanced ahead of him, pushing himself up from me to sit. "If you're here, then…" he trailed off after squinting at me once more, and I rubbed his back and held in a gasp as I saw a harsh bruise forming on his elbow.

"Who-?" Anger welled up within me. It was mostly at myself for putting him in such a situation that did nothing but waste my and his time, but the rage was ultimately fueled at the one who caused him pain. When Merimose didn't answer, I looked at him only to see that he was staring at the person that stood before us. I had completely forgotten about the jerk that dared to do such a thing. So when Merimose shook with fear and looked away, my hands made tight fists.

"What is wrong with you?!" I shouted, and standing, I kept my eyes on the ground. This had to be one of the nobles. I had to keep calm and be as respectable as possible, but with my body heating up the way it was, I started to lose control of myself.

"How could you just push a child like that, huh? How can you be so cruel?! He didn't do anything wrong to you! He's now greatly hurt because of you." I yelled at him, and the rage grew bigger. My mouth twisted into a frustrated scowl when the person said not even a single word.

"Would you atleast apologise?!" I hissed, and knowing that he had no decency to atleast say sorry, I refused to stand and show the same respect to a noble that couldn't care less about fixing his actions. I removed my eyes from the ground and stared at his face, and when I did, the hood he had over his head slowly slipped down the rest of the way.

Red tipped black hair with golden bangs were revealed, and staring into my eyes were those blood red orbs that were as deep as blood. However, seeing those same orbs shooting daggers at me turned my body into ice.

I couldn't even move. My eyes just opened impossibly wide from horror, and I could feel all of the words I wanted to say evaporating into nothing in my mind one after the other as I stared. His face… so similar to mine, yet different at the same time. An aura of mystery surrounded him, and just like before, that yearning and painful feeling returned and threatened to swallow me whole. Blank memories shot through my mind, dying for my attention, but I couldn't remember anything. Nothing at all. All I got were feelings that I couldn't make sense of. I tried to remember the vision of him as a happy child, but it was replaced with the haunting face before me. I saw the bloodied face and the sinister smile. I saw a dark shadow with Ameneman's words echoing all around. I barely even took notice when Merimose stood, grabbing my arm and whimpering beside me in terror.

"My Prince! There you are!" Mana shouted, and hearing her voice my eyes turned to see her running towards us. It only made me shake even more, especially when she stopped in her tracks as she saw me. A hand went up to her mouth with surprise.

"Timaeus?" she gasped, and a small sound escaped my lips in a pitiful attempt to say something as I saw two other priests rushing behind her. They too stopped, recognising me the same as her. It was Priest Mahad and the woman.

"Mana, do you know of him as well?" Priest Mahad asked, staring at me, and hesitantly Mana nodded.

"Y-Yes, Priest Mahad. I've met him before," she admitted, and Mana turned her gaze towards… It frightened me to even say his title in my mind.

"My Prince, what happened?" Mana asked, but the Prince said nothing. He glared at me long and hard, his face filled with anger. Not receiving an answer Mana turned to the other Priest, and she stepped forward as well to try and prod some information from either one of us.

"Timaeus, what transpired here? My Prince?" she pressed, but neither of us said a word. I was too scared to say a word, and if looks could kill I would already be dead.

"Merimose, Timaeus?!"

Hearing Ramose's voice and seeing him run towards us made me feel even sicker. He gasped with horror as he saw the Prince, and with dread I watched as he dropped to the floor at the Prince's feet. Never before did I wish as hard as I did in that moment for the earth to swallow me whole. Ramose begged restlessly on the ground, his body quivering with each word, and I could hear Merimose sobbing quietly as he looked at the scene.

"I'm very sorry, your highness. Please, forgive me for their rudeness. It will never happen again. Please, spare my son!" Ramose cried out, and Mana stepped forward in an attempt to stop him, only to freeze herself when the Prince turned his dark glare towards her.

"Priestess Isis," Mana murmured, turning her head towards the woman, and Priestess Isis stepped forward yet again.

"My Prince, please," the Priestess expressed, turning to the both of us. "I need an explanation."

"I-I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean t-to-" I tried to say, but my voice cracked and came out in whispers.

I immediately dropped trying to say something when the dark look returned to me. This time, instead of anger, determination and a look of decision crossed his features. His head lifted regally. Then, he spoke. His voice was cold and to the point, and it caused sparks to race up my spine, especially due to the order he gave to the guards that came forward after seeing the small crowd we had gathered.

"Guards, take him to the lower dungeons!" he shouted, and finger pointed towards me, and his eyes gleamed viciously. "No one shall disrespect me and go unpunished."

"Yes, your highness!" the guards shouted, and before I knew it, I was grabbed roughly by the arms. Chains and cuffs were clasped around my wrists before I even had a chance to complain, and I was shoved towards the exit. I turned around, hearing Merimose's small voice call for me and catching a glimpse of Mana's look of concern, when all my attention inevitably fell on the Nameless Pharaoh's sharp, intense glare that refused to diminish.

* * *

 **Whelp. That's it. I've gone and done it. Is it a plot twist or just plain torture? Or, was it just too crazy to happen or have I gone far from reality with this? Heh. I tried to make the scene as perfect as possible because I know it's the one everyone will pay attention to, so, I hope it was to your liking!**

 **Overall, I 'think' the chapter was good. I'm sure there's some repeats, but… it shouldn't be too bad. Although, I may need smoother transitions, and I may have to come back and add some more things that happened during the festival. That's why I added all of the steps in Yugi's thoughts, because I knew too many things were going to happen WHILE the festival went on. I hope it was a good choice. I tried to add some of the steps in their search, to remind what's going on. That is my big concern, so I hope I did okay.**

 **Also, I know that for the big scenes I tend to cut them short for no good reason that it seems as if the scene never happened or there was not enough. I tried to keep the meeting a good length, but it had to be brief. A few minutes with a large impact. I remember the many advises you all gave to me about how they should meet, and one of you said to create a situation. This is the situation I came up with. I hope it was in character and suitable. If not, you know the drill. Please tell me your thoughts!**

 **Thank you so much for reading and your endless support! Until next time…**

 **Bye~**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello! I'm not dead~~ Yes! After MONTHS, and I'M SO SORRY, I finally updated. Yippee! It took me forever, but, I'm glad I managed to even write words. My concern is that the chapter feels 'forced'. Stiff. I don't know. I pushed myself to write it even though I wasn't 'feeling' it, because an update was necessary. Of course, I edited plenty, but still. I'm not completely satisfied with it. So, I hope this is fine for now. Please, do leave a comment or two to tell me your thoughts. I will edit accordingly. Thank you so much for sticking to this fic, regardless of my tardiness.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Secrets Underground

Chapter 20

* * *

This was it. This was the end for me.

I couldn't stop myself from thinking it.

After weeks of almost going insane, wondering how I was going to accomplish this godforsaken task I was given, I blew it in seconds. The Nameless Pharaoh, the one I was searching so desperately for, the one I travelled through time for, stood before me… and I lost him. The result of my work? A prison cell.

Thanks Shadi.

I _**loved**_ the dingy smell the walls and floors gave off. I enjoyed feeling mud on my hands, seeing puddles of filthy water pooling in corners of this tiny room doused in utter darkness. My mind is at peace hearing the clatter of chains and the occasional swing of thick wooden doors that blocked me from the outside world. And nothing pleased me more than being dragged down narrow steps, so shocked out of my mind that I didn't know what to say. My mouth could only form an O shape, my brain… numb. I almost cried.

Actually, I did cry. I cried out of despair. And now I'm tired of crying.

DAMMIT!

That was only one of the curses I sang in the darkness alone.

"Where did I go wrong? How could this have gone wrong?" I murmured helplessly through clenched teeth.

Feeling my insides shaking and a cold sweat on my skin, my body had instinctively stiffened. I couldn't breathe. Delirious, I started to rock myself. Back and forth. I clutched my knees and buried my head into them. If I don't see it, it's not real.

I had been in that position for hours. When they dumped me into the cell, throwing me to the floor without a single care, I vaguely remembered staring at the closed door after they had gone, expecting them to return and say they made a mistake. But, when no one showed, with a heart that was too frozen to sink I dragged myself over to a wall, and just waited. It didn't take long after that for myself to fall into a panic.

Now with nothing else to do and feeling a lot calmer, I sat patiently. I was finally able to think.

I **saw** the Nameless Pharaoh. The Prince.

Breathing steadily, glancing at the dark wall through half-opened eyes, I clenched them shut when his face appeared in my mind. My ears heated up. The Prince had blood red eyes so deep and dark that the visions I had definitely weren't able to capture its depth. Thin lips, thick brows and eyelashes… perfection more than I could ever know. He was just regal in every form and way. He was more than I imagined- and that thought terrified me.

I insulted him. Before everyone I yelled and ridiculed the crown Prince, heir to the throne. And as a result, I've put so many people at risk. Ramose and Merimose; I could only hope that they were not punished for my mistake. If the Prince recognized them, would they lose their job? That was their livelihood. They served the palace! To have a foreigner like me swoop in and dare to even look their living god in the eye… the possible consequences for what I did and how it would affect those around me scared me. It wasn't even the half of it though. There were my own penalties to deal with. What would become of me, the one who did the deed and was currently locked away?

Execution was what came to my mind. They were going to kill me for sure.

I itched at my thumb, my bare feet unable to stay still and shaking incessantly as I stared off into space. I was really foolish. Idiotic and suicidal. Things did not work here like they worked in the present day world. Status and power spoke volumes. It kept those beneath in line. It created a sense of control. Here, that status was evident and the norm. How could I even think of opening my mouth to berate a noble? And my thoughts? I _didn't care as to who it was_?! In this world, who was I to call out others?

Shaking even more, I hid my face and tried my best to stay calm, to stop my stomach from doing flops that made me want to throw up.

To be honest, now that I thought about it, I didn't know what truly happened in that moment. All I saw was Merimose being shoved harshly, and I snapped. Not even I could have predicted that my pent up anger and frustration would be unleashed at such a horrible time. But it did. And now that I thought about the situation with a calmed mind, I knew that I made a grave error.

There was surprise on the Prince's face. It could be the shock from seeing someone, me, that looked like his double, but, that couldn't have been the whole situation. He was holding his left arm, if I remembered clearly. Even though he looked mightily angry, he still held his arm gingerly. So it had me wondering… Did he get hurt somehow? Even Merimose looked surprised when I crouched down beside him. It was as if he was seeing double, and couldn't believe his eyes.

The more I recalled, the more I was sure I missed something.

To make it all even worse, I didn't ask Merimose a single question as to what happened.

It was obvious. It was my stupid mistake. If I had just slowed down and controlled myself more, I wouldn't be in this situation. I was going to die and or spend the rest of my like here. The Prince sounded strict too. If I had truly misunderstood something, he wasn't going to spare me. Plus, it looked as if he was going to convict me regardless as to whether his father was present or not.

It was just a pessimistic thought though. From my studies of the roles Ancient Egyptian nobles, including Princes, had concerning the country and the rulings of the court, I learned that the Prince(s) did not hold much power. Only the Pharaoh had the right to pass judgement. As the Prince, and one that was already of age, his duties would be elsewhere during his father's reign.

Now that it came up, I wondered what the Nameless Pharaoh's role was. I already knew that he would soon inherit the throne and become Pharaoh himself, but what about the time before that? Was he a scribe? A Priest? Well, he couldn't have been a Priest since it seemed that all the spots for that position were filled. Ah, he might be a general of some sort! It made more sense, considering the natural way he commanded the guards so confidently. Though, that could also be just a personality trait.

It was all intriguing, but the different possible titles he could have held were too much for me to count. Either way, I was going to be stuck here for some time until Pharaoh Aknamkanon returned. It could take days. Hopefully by then I would be able to save myself somehow, or contact Shadi for assistance to get me out of this predicament that could turn for the worse at any moment without warning. Shadi told me I was going to die, but it couldn't be here. My visions told me otherwise.

Running my fingers through my hair, I sighed deeply once again and looked up at the ceiling, bracing my head on the wall. Cracked limestone, uneven and indented. Now that my eyes were adjusting, it was still so dark in here that the room looked gray. I gazed around, blinking lazily, the depression still weighing on me some.

I wasn't in a normal Egyptian dungeon. The dungeons I read about were not located near the palace, and they were not single cells like this. The dungeons in other kingdoms were a separate building, just a giant room where all the convicts would be held until their sentence and after it. So it was weird to see this difference. It just reminded me so much of a modern day prison with many cells right by each other. And there were indeed other rooms like this! I clearly remembered seeing similar sets of doors like this heavy wooden one I currently faced. Also, this place was underneath the palace. Deep underground. Its entryway was nothing but a tiny door with steep steps that led into a dark room lit by two torches. We had gotten so far beneath ground that the cooler air caused goosebumps to break out on my arms and legs.

Looking beneath the little crack at the base of the door, I was able to see a dim orange glow. It was from one of the torches. It had gone out a while ago, so someone was just here to relight them. Okay… My mind was so blank and my energy was too drained for me to think any deeper. My throat was too hoarse to call out. What could I possibly do anyways?

After all the surprises I had gone through, there was one thing which remained consistent with me so far on my wacky journey. The more I witnessed, the more I became sure. This time period… no. This kingdom, was different. I've never heard or read of anything like this before, but it should be of no surprise to me. The Egyptians were just so advanced that Egyptologists from my present day were still scratching their heads in wonder.

I don't know how much time had already passed before I finally heard a sound other than the grates of stone under my feet. A loud creak just beyond my door broke the deafening silence I was drowning in, and it had me sitting up with wide eyes and a fast beating heart that started pounding within a second. I waited… and my heart leaped to my throat when the door swung open suddenly. Light poured in and instinctively I shielded my eyes as I saw the two big, dark silhouettes of the guards. I scooted backwards as they stepped in, my arm covering my eyes, only to have one of them grab it, the other taking my left arm.

"Time to plead your case," one said briefly, and they pulled me to my feet and started to pull me out the door. I tumbled behind them with surprise, only for my mind to finally process their words.

What?

"W-wait, why?! How?!" I blabbered. But, the surprise was too much for me to bear because I started to panic once again. Eyes wide and heart racing within my chest, I struggled as hard as I could to pull my arm away from the death grip hold.

"No, please- stop! How can this be?!" I yelled through my resistance, but with one firm tug I was almost tripped into silence.

There was no way the Pharaoh had returned so soon. I wasn't ready! Those 'differences'…! My knowledge was reliable, but it was impossible to be certain about everything, especially a kingdom such as this. That was why a part of me couldn't help but seriously wonder…

Is the Prince going to be the one to sentence me?!

The guards were stiff, their faces firm and not looking at me. I could tell they were nervous, and a part of me, deep down, was amused. They couldn't help but think that they were manhandling their Prince. I was his lookalike with major differences, but the unique resemblance still put them on edge.

Dragging me up the stairs, not even stopping when I stumbled and cried out as I felt my knee crack, I was pulled through the elegant and bright hallways as quickly as possible. All eyes were on me as the guards shouted at some to move out of the way. Wandering guests and servants cleaning up after the festival scurried away from me to the farthest wall to watch with curiosity as I passed by, and I felt my face burning, a frown fighting its way to rest on my face. I was embarrassed, and within I was worried out of my mind.

With a final turn I was thrust into the throne room, the same room the Festival was held in, and immediately the hushed silence that greeted me and the weight of the tension made my ears pop. Gulping, my eyes fell on Ramose, Meri and Senisonbe who were standing at the side before the throne, eyes downcast and not lifting when my own eyes begged to meet one of theirs. I needed to see how they felt. I needed to see hope instead of the fearful, solemn stance they took and wore like a desperate shield.

Faltering slightly as I got closer, I saw the two remaining Priests who were at the Prince's side when the incident happened. They stood on the platform, one on each side. Mana was there too, standing a short distance away. Even her eyes looked sad. Of course, after getting acquainted with me, I had put even her into trouble.

And last but certainly not least, there, between the two Priests, was the Prince. Leaning against the throne, arms crossed, his red eyes pierced and followed me with each step I took. I couldn't gulp, nor breathe.

"Kneel!" one of the guards suddenly ordered, and without warning I was shoved to the ground. I kept my left leg forward, eyes dropping and sticking to the floor.

A ruffle of clothes, and footsteps that shot fear into my heart was what I heard before a voice broke the silence.

"My Prince, it is unwise to carry out such a decision by yourself. Your father-"

"-Isn't here. However, he transgressed me, Mahad. Me. Therefore I have the right to see fit how to deal with him."

Oh, so that was it. He was doing this on his own terms. Thank goodness some of my studies were showing fruit.

I still kept my head down as the woman let out a soft sigh. It was so quiet here that I was even able to hear her breath.

"Mahad, leave him be," she stated, and I heard her voice get firmer. "My Prince, do as you please. However, we shall be your observer and forbid you from taking any severe actions in your father's absence."

The Prince was amused at that. He voice held laughter as he responded, and even though I couldn't see him, I could imagine a similar smirk on his face right now like the one in that blood vision.

"Do as you wish," he said, and his footsteps stopped. "Rise, you."

My heart shot up to my throat and I lurched slightly as my head snapped up to meet him. He stood there, metres away from me, standing on the edge of the platform. Hips cocked, arms crossed. He was smirking playfully.

"Not only have you insulted me, you dared to consider me one of your own. You were the first to ever do such a thing. I would say that I'm impressed, but not in the slightest." The smirk vanished and was immediately replaced with a look filled of poison. My blood ran cold. "There was nothing impressive about your behaviour other than rude, obnoxious, and ignorant." He clenched his fists, and there, on his arm, I saw a thin wrapping of gauze.

"I-"

"I've been told you came here to learn about Egypt, but I cannot understand how you've learned nothing from staying with people who are important assets to the royal family. You have been nothing but a nuisance, and now they too will have to pay for hosting such a-"

"No- Please!" My head snapped up at those words that shot down my spine. I looked at him with pleading eyes, round and shaking to stay in place. "Please don't punish them! I'm the one who made the mistake. I was stupid to do such a thing without thinking."

I couldn't let them take the fall for my doings. I glanced at Ramose who was looking at me with shocked eyes, as if he couldn't believe what I was saying. I managed to smile reassuringly in return before trying my best to plead my case to the Prince. As I tried to meet his eye level as best as I could from my position, I was kicked back down to the ground by the heavy feet that stood just a short distance away from me, prepared to attack if I made one wrong move.

"I will accept whatever punishment, but please don't blame Ramose's family. They truly did try their hardest to guide me, but-"

"That's enough!"

It wasn't the voice of the Prince. The light voice I had gotten the pleasure of having spoken towards me was once again coming to my aid. Mana stepped forward hastily, stopping a feet or two from the Prince who was glaring at her sharply for the interruption.

"I'm sorry, my Prince, but you cannot do this. I agree. You simply cannot punish this family for what has been done to you. They were faithful to your family for years, even time before you were born to this world. How can you doubt them so easily? Your father, the Pharaoh wouldn't deal with it like this." I saw tears brimming in her eyes, but she held strong, and so did the Prince. His gaze felt no sympathy. If anything, it got darker.

But why. Why the need to stop him? I'm grateful, yes, but, he hadn't said what he was going to do yet. So why the urge to talk him down from it without hearing what he wanted to do?

"If you want to punish anyone for Timaeus's behaviour, punish me. I was the one who asked to have him stay with them. Me! I take responsibility-"

"Mana do not be foolish!"

Priest Mahad stepped forward this time, and all gazes turned to him. He was looking at Mana sternly, and the Prince even more so with disappointment.

"My Prince, ignore her. Instead, I suggest that you take-"

"Why is it that everyone else is adamant on making the decision only I am allowed to make?"

All eyes widened at the cold tone that escaped the Prince's lips. He looked at the two before him who fell silent upon hearing his voice growl in such a way, his gaze daring them to say another word. Neither did. He continued with satisfaction.

"I will deal with this as I see fit. Now, be quiet like Isis, both of you, before I forget my friendship with you and have you incarcerated for disrupting the court."

"Technically you shouldn't be the one…" Isis started to mutter to herself, but she trailed off, her gaze dropping to the ground when the Prince turned his glare towards her. I could see that he was beyond frustrated.

Watching him now, I blinked curiously. The Prince reminded me of a child that was being toyed with by their elders who were simply allowing them to do as they pleased for a short time. Making them feel important even though what they were going to do held no great value to them. I guess it was of little importance. It was me after all, but it wasn't just me. I looked back at the family who I spent my days with. They were all still as quiet, not surprised or fazed by the shouts that came from the royals before them. I winced and mentally apologised to them once again.

"I will deal with them as I please! Not another word from either of you!" the Prince finally yelled now, and all they could do was nod solemnly in agreement after the tough berating they were given while I was momentarily zoned out.

The Prince didn't wait to test and see if they would speak. He spun around to face me without a moment of respite, and my head jolted to attention when I felt his gaze burn holes into my skull. It lasted for a blink when his arm shot up and pointed towards Ramose. Ramose looked frozen to the core with fear, the finger seemingly controlling him.

"I've decided," the Prince said slowly through stiff teeth. "You, will play a game with me which will decide your and their fate. Shall you win, you are allowed to walk free with them keeping their status, free from prison as well, the incident never being mentioned to the Pharaoh. However, if you lose…" A smirk then appeared on his face, his eyes dancing with glee as he eyed me intently. I gulped.

"… I will take your life."

* * *

 **And there we go! The end of the chapter! Again, maybe some repetition, especially towards the end. This was also a dramatic chapter, so I hope everyone was in character for the most part. That scene with Mahad and Mana speaking out against Atem makes me nervous. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have done that, but I considered that they were his friends (of course this is unknown to Yugi beforehand) and that the Pharaoh was not around, so they were more active in talking him out of making the final decision. Was that okay? Heh. Advise me. Please**

 **Anyways, thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review to tell me your thoughts!**

 **Bye~ Until next time~! :)**


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